Are you watching your lawn slowly crisp and turn brown? Are you positioning buckets under your spigots to catch every spare drop of water? Are you trying not to break a sweat because you’ve cut your showers to two a week? (Yikes!)

These are just some of the ideas L.A. Times readers sent us when we asked them to tell us how they’re conserving water. It’s an urgent question, with Southern California water authorities announcing new restrictions to deal with the drought and reduced water supply.

And while many readers called on Californians to make major lifestyle changes, others offered common-sense tips or new twists on familiar ideas that reduce the amount of water that goes down the drain.

More than a few of you noted that individual water conservation, though valuable, isn’t enough, and argued that policymakers need to do more. For example, Christiane Badgley of Long Beach wrote, “We need massive change. [The] L.A. Times recently wrote about Israel’s water re-use and state-of-the-art drip irrigation — this is where California needs to go. And we need to raise water prices enough to discourage agribusiness from growing alfalfa and other thirsty crops.”

That’s complicated. Agriculture is an important part of the California economy, and crops such as alfalfa, rice and almonds are like other foods we consume — their production requires water. Agriculture is by far the largest user of water in California. Kelly Sanders, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at USC, told The Times last year that about 80% of water used in the state goes toward agriculture. The rest is mostly urban usage, she said.

What’s abundantly clear, though, is that Southern California does not have an abundance of water — and probably won’t for some time, if ever again.

Here’s how L.A. Times readers are adapting. Got more ideas? Send them to us.

As California drought worsens, the DWP in Los Angeles will limit outdoor watering to two days a week, with watering capped at eight minutes per station.

Many readers are saving every drop they can when showering and bathing.

Are you using your dishwasher correctly? Are you using it at all? Everything you wanted to know about washing dishes efficiently during a drought.

Whether they have a dishwasher or wash by hand, readers are getting creative about saving or reusing the water that cleans the tableware.

California water regulators have banned the watering of decorative ‘nonfunctional’ grass at commercial, industrial and institutional properties.

Water agencies and officials are working to get the message out on the importance of trees and keeping them alive during the drought.

But only because you brought it up first.

Why did Californians ignore Gavin Newsom’s water conservation plea? In a drought, conservation messaging needs to be sharper — and even a little terrifying.

A few readers tried to put the drought and the related water restrictions into perspective.

Kinsella of Eagle Rock offered this outlook: Southern Californians “need to think of our summer the way cold weather people think of winter. This is when native plants go dormant. No water and no yard work needed. Let the garden rest. It’ll burst to life with the first rain.”

To stay motivated, Lisette Palley of Culver City wants us to become more conscious of the water we’re using. “Remember the photos of parched land to remind you why you are practicing new habits,” she wrote. “Imagine how it would be if no water came out of the tap when you turn it on.”

Lastly, Barbara Siegman of Van Nuys urges you not to get too upset: “We are still lucky to live here.”

The L.A. Times wants to hear and publish your tips for saving water so everyone can learn from them. Tell us what you’re doing.

About The Times Utility Journalism Team

This article is from The Times’ Utility Journalism Team. Our mission is to be essential to the lives of Southern Californians by publishing information that solves problems, answers questions and helps with decision making. We serve audiences in and around Los Angeles — including current Times subscribers and diverse communities that haven’t historically had their needs met by our coverage. How can we be useful to you and your community? Email utility (at) latimes.com or one of our journalists: Matt Ballinger, Jon Healey, Ada Tseng, Jessica Roy and Karen Garcia.

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Matthew Ballinger leads The Times’ Utility Journalism team, which publishes stories and information that help people solve problems, answer questions, and make decisions about life in and around Los Angeles.