TOP 10 WAYS TO SAVE WATER:

1. Follow local water-use restrictions.

2. Fix leaking faucets and toilets. Eight percent of all home water use comes from leaks. Test for a leaking toilet by lifting the lid off the tank and putting a few drops of food coloring inside. Wait a few minutes, then look in the bowl. If the food coloring is there, you have a leak.

3. Refit your plumbing. Replace fixtures with newer low-flow models or install water-saving devices.

4. Shorten your shower to five minutes to rack up big savings in water and energy. Install a water-saving showerhead that uses 2.5 gallons per minute.

5. Save water through energy conservation. When doing laundry, wash full loads only (do not overload), and wash and rinse in cold water. In the kitchen, use the dishwasher for full loads and only soak or pre-wash dishes if food is cooked or burned on.

6. Help your plants use less water. Cut back annuals and perennials during dry spells. They'll bounce back when it rains again.

7. Collect water to keep valuable plants alive. You'll be surprised at how much you catch in a rain barrel under your downspouts.

8. Prioritize plants. When water is scarce, give it to valuable or irreplaceable trees and shrubs first.

9. Don't fertilize plants when you can't water it in. Set your mower blade higher than normal to help keep your lawn alive during a drought.

10. Mulch. Cover the entire area, from the trunk to the ends of the branches. Use newspapers underneath to help the soil retain moisture.

Source: Georgia Drought Response Unified Command Joint Information Center

Events scheduled for this week include:

TODAY

COLUMBIA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING: 6 p.m., Evans Government Center Auditorium, 630 Ronald Reagan Drive; (706) 868-3379

TEEN DRIVERS PROGRAM: 6 p.m., Wesley United Methodist Church; free program for parents and new teen drivers, Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error (PRIDE); sponsored by Safe Kids of East Central Georgia and the MCG Children's Medical Center; (706) 721-7606

SIERRA CLUB: 6:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 3501 Walton Way Extension; Dr. Jason Andrus, a microbiologist at Augusta State University, will discuss stream bacterial sampling with Richmond County Adopt-a-Stream; (706) 650-8314

TUESDAY NIGHTS TOGETHER (TNT): 7 p.m., administration building, First Baptist Church of North Augusta, 625 Georgia Ave.; single adults are invited to a community-wide fellowship and Bible study; call Ty Lockridge at (803) 279-6370.

AUGUSTA C.S. LEWIS SOCIETY: 7 p.m., The Athenaeum Bookstore, 1423 Monte Sano Ave.; discussion of The Screwtape Letters; (706) 855-9028

SRS CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD, WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: 6-8 p.m., Aiken Municipal Conference Room, 214 Park Ave. S.W.

MEET BETH EVERITT, AIKEN COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT: 5:30-7 p.m., Schofield Middle School, 224 Kershaw St. N.E., Aiken.

AIKEN PLANNING COMMISSION: 4 p.m., City Hall, Park Avenue.

AIKEN PARK COMMISSION: 4 p.m., public works administration building, 245 Dupont Drive N.W.

HARLEM LIBRARY STORY TIME: 10:30-11:15 a.m., Harlem Library, 375 N. Louisville St; free

AUGUSTA COMMISSION: 2 p.m., eighth floor, Municipal Building, 530 Greene St.

WEDNESDAY

COLUMBIA COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE GARDENING AT LUNCH SERIES: 12:10-12:45 p.m., Columbia County library; extension agent Charles Phillips will conduct a session on planning drought-tolerant landscapes; (706) 868-3413

MARVIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CLOTHES CLOSET: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wheeler and Belair Roads; donations are accepted on the first day of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

ROTARY CLUB OF COLUMBIA COUNTY: 7 a.m., Brandon Wilde Clubhouse; president Lee Clark, (706) 863-2000