Milwaukee skies have been restless the past few days and all that rain should remind us that we can help make up for the inadequacies of our storm sewers. And the additional benefit -- besides helping to prevent our stank from getting dumped into the lake -- is that we save water, which we've always been told is our most precious resource.

Outside, your lawn and garden can benefit from disconnecting your downspouts from the storm sewer system and letting it run into your yard. Of course, direct the flow away from your house. Or plant a rain garden which also helps to prevent run off. A rain barrel can collect water from your downspouts and you can use it to water the shrubs, the herb garden or the potted plants on the patio. But empty it in winter and make sure it's covered to prevent unwanted forays into mosquito husbandry.

Inside the house, always turn off the water while your shaving or brushing your teeth. And while you don't always have to take military showers, go easy on the Hollywood ones. Use the water saving feature on your dishwasher and remember to set your washing machine to the proper water level.

If you've got some leftover water -- that's clean, of course -- use it to water the plants instead of sending it down the drain.

When we're being inundated with rain, as in the past few days, try to hold off on running the dishwasher or the washing machine, or run it as little as possible to stop that much more water from entering the system.

We think what we do can't make a difference, but if we all -- or even just some of us -- pay attention to water usage, we can have a big effect.

Check out the links below for more ideas and information on stemming the tide on sewer overflows and on preventing polluted water from entering the lake.

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