During a drought, the most effective thing you can do is cut your household water use, protect your property from fire risk, and safeguard your health from worsening air quality. Most of these steps cost little or nothing, and many will lower your water bill long after the drought ends. Here’s a practical breakdown of what to prioritize.
Cut Water Use Inside Your Home
The bathroom is the biggest target. Standard bathroom faucets flow at 2.2 gallons per minute, but installing a WaterSense-labeled faucet or aerator drops that to 1.5 gallons per minute, a 30% reduction with no noticeable difference in pressure. Low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets offer similar savings and can be installed in minutes with basic tools.
In the kitchen, skip hand washing your dishes. Hand washing a load of dishes uses up to 27 gallons of water, while an Energy Star-rated dishwasher uses as little as 3 gallons. Run the dishwasher only when it’s full, and use the shortest cycle that gets the job done. The same logic applies to laundry: wait for full loads and select the appropriate water level if your machine allows it.
Shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, and fixing leaky faucets all add up. A single dripping faucet can waste thousands of gallons a year. During a drought, these small habits collectively make a real difference, especially when an entire community adopts them.
Water Your Yard Smarter, Not More
The goal during a drought isn’t necessarily a green lawn. It’s keeping trees and high-value plants alive while using the least water possible. Slow, deep irrigation that wets the entire root zone is far more effective than frequent shallow watering, which encourages roots to stay near the surface where they dry out fastest. Let the soil dry between waterings so roots get enough oxygen and don’t sit in permanently wet conditions.
Timing matters. Water early in the morning, before 10 a.m., when temperatures are coolest and evaporation is lowest. During peak summer heat, established trees and shrubs typically need water every 4 to 7 days. In winter, that interval stretches to every 4 to 10 weeks depending on your soil type and local weather. The best way to know when to water again is to check how deep the moisture reaches in your soil. Push a screwdriver or soil probe into the ground near your plants. If it slides in easily to 6 or 8 inches, the soil still has moisture.
Spread 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch (wood chips, shredded bark, or yard waste) around trees, shrubs, and garden beds. Mulch acts as insulation, slowing evaporation from the soil surface. Research from the University of California found that a 3-inch layer of yard waste mulch held significantly more moisture than bare soil and reduced water loss. Keep mulch a few inches away from plant stems and tree trunks to prevent rot.
Protect Your Home From Wildfire
Drought dramatically raises wildfire risk. Creating defensible space around your home is one of the most important things you can do, and it doesn’t require a professional. The concept works in three zones.
- Zone 1 (0 to 15 feet from your home): Remove all flammable vegetation. This distance is measured from the outer edge of your eaves, decks, and any attached structures. Plant nothing within 3 to 5 feet of the building itself, especially if you have wood siding or logs.
- Zone 2 (15 to 75 or 125 feet out): This is a fuel-reduction area. Space trees so their canopies don’t touch, remove dead branches, and keep grass mowed short. The exact distance depends on your slope. Steeper terrain needs a wider buffer because fire travels uphill faster.
- Zone 3 (beyond your defensible space): Thin dense brush and remove dead trees where possible, extending to your property line.
Clear dried leaves and pine needles from your roof, gutters, and deck regularly. Move firewood piles and propane tanks at least 30 feet from any structure. During active drought conditions, avoid using outdoor equipment that can throw sparks, like lawnmowers hitting rocks or angle grinders.
Reduce Water Loss Outdoors
If you have a swimming pool, cover it when it’s not in use. An uncovered pool loses water steadily to evaporation, and a pool cover reduces that loss by 30% to 50%, according to the Department of Energy. That can save hundreds of gallons a month depending on your climate and pool size.
Wash cars at a commercial car wash that recycles water rather than using a hose in your driveway. If you must wash at home, use a bucket and a spray nozzle that shuts off between rinses. Check your outdoor hoses and irrigation lines for leaks. A cracked fitting on a drip line can silently waste water for weeks before you notice.
Consider collecting and reusing greywater, the relatively clean water from your bathroom sinks, showers, and washing machine. Many states allow you to use untreated greywater for subsurface irrigation (watering plants below ground level through a simple hose or pipe). This keeps trees and shrubs alive without drawing from the municipal supply. Check your local regulations, since rules vary by state and county.
Protect Your Health
Drought doesn’t just affect your water supply. It degrades the air you breathe. As the CDC notes, severe drought increases the risk of wildfires and dust storms, both of which load the air with fine particulate matter. These particles irritate the lungs and bronchial passages, worsen chronic respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, and raise the risk of infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
On high-dust or smoky days, keep windows closed and run your HVAC system with a clean filter. If you exercise outdoors, shift your workouts to early morning when air quality is typically better. People with existing lung conditions should keep rescue inhalers accessible and monitor local air quality index readings, which most weather apps now display.
Dehydration is a quieter risk. When water feels scarce, some people unconsciously drink less. Keep your fluid intake steady regardless of restrictions. Municipal water restrictions apply to outdoor and discretionary use, not to drinking water.
Test Your Well Water
If your home relies on a private well, drought creates specific risks that municipal water users don’t face. As water tables drop, contaminants become more concentrated in the remaining groundwater. Research has linked drought conditions to increased arsenic exposure in private wells. Nitrate levels can also climb, particularly in agricultural areas where fertilizer and animal waste seep into the water table. High nitrate levels are especially dangerous for infants, causing a serious condition called blue baby syndrome.
During a drought, test your well water more frequently than you normally would. At minimum, test for coliform bacteria, nitrate, and arsenic. If your well runs dry or the water starts tasting or smelling different, stop using it for drinking and cooking until you can get it tested. Many county health departments offer low-cost or free well water testing kits.
Know Your Local Water Restrictions
Most municipalities implement water restrictions in stages as a drought worsens. Early stages typically limit outdoor watering to specific days or times and ban activities like hosing down driveways and sidewalks. Later stages may prohibit all outdoor watering, filling pools, and operating ornamental fountains. Fines for violations usually increase with each stage.
Your water utility’s website or local government page will list the current restriction level and exactly what’s allowed. Sign up for alerts if your utility offers them. Understanding which stage your area is in helps you plan. If you’re in an early stage, it’s the right time to invest in mulch, fix irrigation leaks, and install low-flow fixtures before restrictions tighten further. Waiting until the most severe stage means you’ll have fewer options and less water to work with.