Yellow Mellow Brown Down?

This was the California motto during the last really bad droughts in the 1970s. Basically, it means if you just urinate "don't flush" but if you do more than that then flush.

I told my wife that I am beginning to live this motto because our water company has asked us to reduce our water consumption 20%. So, my thought is that we might be able to do this just by my not flushing every single time I go to the bathroom. I'm mentioning this for Californians because we are presently in the worst drought (at least in the last 100 years) here in California (in most parts).

There is another phase to yellow mellow Brown Down and that usually comes during the summer and fall which is to place a 5 gallon bucket under the sink in your bathroom (or kitchens). At that stage of drought you do this and you completely shut off the water to your toilets completely at the valve usually under or next to the toilet. Then you flush your toilets with gray water from the bathroom sink (or the kitchen sink or both) by either pouring it directly into the bowl to flush or you can also put it in the tank behind the toilet as well and just flush regularly.

However, doing this becomes kind of tricky as you can imagine. I would say the biggest problems with doing this are:

1. IF you forget to dump it into the toilet it will overflow under the sink.
2. If a child or less coordinated person tries to lift and move and put the water into the toilet bowl or tank in the back.

These are the two major problems that one can encounter doing this.

Here are some tips that might help if you begin doing this this summer and fall.

1. Leave the doors under your sink open to remind people not to let the bucket overflow when they wash their hands both in the bathroom(s) and in the kitchen.

2. If you have enough gray water from your kitchen and your bathrooms you can also water plants outside.

Because in the 1970s everyone's lawn in cities especially went brown from not being watered. In fact, if your lawn and garden was beautiful likely someone would come and fine you a lot of money then. Likely it could be like that again (for as long as the drought lasts).

Some weather people say it could be a permanent drought which might change life in California a lot. We will have to see what the weather brings on a monthly or yearly basis.

So far, in January there was only a 10% to 20% normal snowpack in the High Sierra Mountains. Now there is a 32% of normal snowpack there. But, this likely means that farmers won't be allowed to grow food in most areas of California (at least for the summer and fall seasons).

So, this is greatly going to increase the cost of food for all Americans and especially for Californians because of shipping costs.

Hopefully, what I'm writing here will be helpful if you live in California or any other state where water has become a problem this year.