Did you know that producing a traditional Thanksgiving meal for eight requires over 40,000 gallons of water?1

You may not usually think about how much water you use on Thanksgiving, but the food preparation and clean-up that go into a traditional Thanksgiving feast are water-intensive. To help shareholders save water this Thanksgiving, Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company is sharing the following tips:

Defrost Food in the Refrigerator

Plan ahead and allow enough time to defrost your turkey and any other frozen foods in the refrigerator, rather than using running water. Allow approximately 24 hours of thawing time for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.2

Rinse Vegetables In A Bowl

Use a bowl of water to rinse your vegetables instead of using running water. You can even use the remaining water from the bowl to water your garden or houseplants!

Offer a Pitcher of Water

Rather than serving each guest a cup of water, allow guests to serve themselves from a pitcher of water. This will allow guests to only take as much water as they will drink.

Scrape and Compost Leftovers

Don’t rinse leftovers off of plates. Instead, scrape food scraps into a compost bin. The compost can be placed into your green waste cart, if you have one, or the compost can be used in your garden once mature.

Properly Dispose of Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG)

Protect your pipes by keeping fats, oils and grease out of your sink or garbage disposal. Pour any fats, oils or grease into a container, allow it to cool and dispose of it in your trash can.

Wash Dishes Efficiently

Use a dishwasher if possible, which is more water-efficient than washing dishes by hand. (Be sure to only run the dishwasher when it is full.) If you wash dishes by hand. use one basin with soapy water and another basin with rinse water rather than leaving the water running.

Thank you for doing your part to help save water, and happy Thanksgiving!

About BSMWC

Founded in 1911, the Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water company services approximately 49,000 persons in the Bellflower area. The company has seven active wells in operation that produce 5,265 gallons of water every minute. Bellflower and Somerset merged in 1988 to form Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company. As a mutual water company, BSMWC is owned by the property owners in its service area who are shareholders in the entity. BSMWC is dedicated to delivering high-quality, healthy and cost-effective water for the community.

  1. https://greeleygov.com/services/ws/home/blog/water/2018/10/22/7-water-conservation-tips-for-thanksgiving
  2. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/poultry-preparation/turkey-basics-safe-thawing/