A well-maintained pool doesn’t just help keep you cool, it saves water, cuts costs and protects one of the community’s most precious resources.

The city of Peoria is offering a few tips to make your pool more water-wise.

• Reuse backwash water: Use small amounts of backwash water to irrigate salt-tolerant plants like Oleander, Bougainvillea, Texas Rangers, Bear Grass, and Rosemary.

• Check pool pump “O” rings: Replace O-rings every couple years to overcome mineral buildup that causes leaks and inefficiency.

• Suspect a leak? Try the Bucket Test: Place a bucket on a pool step and fill it to the same water level as your pool. Turn off the auto-fill. If the pool water drops faster than the bucket, you may have a leak, not just evaporation.

• Don’t drain to the street: Large backwashes or full pool drains must go to a sanitary sewer port. It is illegal to discharge pool water into the street.

For more water-saving tips and resources, visit: peoriaaz.gov/waterconservation.