Many parts of the U.S. are experiencing drought or near-drought conditions, primarily in the West and Southeast. If you are a swimming pool owner concerned about how much water you use, here are steps you can take to minimize the amount of water you need for your pool. 

1. Keep it covered.

Most of the water in your swimming pool will be lost to evaporation. The pool temperature, the outside temperature, humidity and wind will all influence how quickly water evaporates. An uncovered swimming pool can lose up to 55 inches of water a year.

Pool covers range in efficiency and cost. Most common are manual pool covers that can be made of plastic or vinyl; these are removed when it's time to use the pool and then put back by hand. Other options include semi-automated and automated covering systems for larger backyard pools. For the purposes of reducing evaporation, any cover will work.

An added bonus of using a pool cover is the energy savings. When water evaporates, it takes heat out of the pool, and heating newly added water can take a lot of energy. You can save 50 to 70 percent in heating costs simply by providing a cover.

2. Fix leaks.

Sealants in your pool can deteriorate over time. Cracks can form in the pool liner. Fittings and plumbing can get holes. These issues can lead to the loss of a great deal of water over time, and you may have a hard time noticing.

There's a quick way to check for a leak, though. Get a five-gallon bucket, fill it with water, and mark the water line. At the same time, mark the water line in your pool. After 24 hours, measure how much below the original water line both the bucket and the pool are. If the pool has lost more water than the bucket, you can't blame it all on evaporation; you likely have a leak.

Leaks can be hard to find yourself, let alone to fix. You can take steps to narrow down where the leak is located by:

• Checking for leaks with the pump on. Plumbing on the return side may be loose or broken.
• Checking for leaks with the pump off. Plumbing on the intake side may be loose or broken.
• Checking the ground near the equipment pad for moisture. There could be a leak in the pump itself.
• Watching to see if the pool leaks consistently whether the pump is on or off. There could be a crack in the pool or a slit in the liner, depending on your pool's construction.

Talk to a swimming pool repair company, likeAll-American Pools, to confirm the location of the leak and get it fixed as soon as possible.