the clothes washer every piece of clothing that has a speck of dirt on it. Don't run the clothes washer or the dishwasher unless they con- tain a full load. A study completed in England (where water conser- vation is a high priority) found that a dishwasher actually reduces the volume of water used in washing dishes. It eliminates the need for several pans of water to wash and rinse, or the continuous flow of water used for rinsing. (Also, dishwashers are quite popular with dish washers.) APPLIANCES Other than using them less frequently, there is not much you can do about your water-using appliances. Some clothes washing machines have a water saving cycle, some have a "suds-saver" cycle. If yours does, use it. If you've got a garbage disposal and you want to reduce both the volume of water and the particulate mate- rial entering your septic tank and drain field, stop using it. The concentration of suspended solid material in effluent from a garbage disposal is about 100 times that of grey water without garbage dis- ONSITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL posal effluent. Suspended solids are the particles that collect in the septic tank and spill over to clog up the soil in your drain field. The effect of these particles is much worse than the several gallons of water per day that you use while running the disposal. Obviously, if you are in the market for a new water-using appli- ance, shop around and compare different brands. For example, one clothes washing machine may require 30 gallons to do 10 pounds of clothes, another may require 40 gallons for 20 pounds. The first uses three gallons per pound, the second, two. Go to the library and look at the reports by Consumer's Union to get a comparison of various appliances with respect to water use, electricity use, noise levels, and so on. Remember, if you can reduce your water usage, you could save one thousand dollars or more on the drain field you won't have to replace, besides conserving a valuable natural resource. Since I'm not a vegetarian, I won't mention the part about 