Putting Conservation Into The Right Context

So your municipal authorities are asking you to conserve water. Water the lawn less often. Don’t let the faucet water run. Fix the leak in the toilet. Does it mean your tap is about to run dry? Hardly. In fact, there are trillions of gallons of untapped water pooled beneath us that we won’t have to look at for hundreds of years.

So why all the caution for water conservation? It just makes sense. Like electricity, water goes through a peak demand period during heat waves. The kids want the pool topped off. The sprinklers chatter all over town. Even the dog appreciates a good romp under the hose. All perfectly legitimate activities, and none of them threaten the region’s water supply in a big way. Instead, our requests for conservation are geared more toward preventing over-usage of water.

Here’s how it works:

Water is pumped out of the ground from wells into a distribution system, which is a network of buried pipes with customer services connected to it. Also connected to the distribution system is an elevated storage tank that typically holds around a million gallons of water high in the air. The well pumps are turned on and off so as to keep the tank full of water and at capacity when demand calls for it.

And where does the demand come from? The average person uses about 160 gallons of water a day. Two thirds of the water used in your household is used in the bathroom. You use two gallons of water to brush your teeth (unless you turn off the faucet while you brush). A small drip from your faucet can waste more than 50 gallons of water per day. That translates into more cost for you and more energy required to meet demand. Not good for your cash flow or the environment either.

While this doesn’t even begin to put a dent in our overall water supply, it does renew our awareness of its value. Water conservation should be taken into consideration at all times. Every little bit helps if everyone participates.

An Important Reminder About Backflow Prevention

Thinking of buying a new sprinkler system this year? Remember, a backflow prevention device must be included within that installation. The device, which prevents contamination of the public water supply, must be tested annually. The South Farmingdale Water District (SFWD) will test it free of charge, which means the customer will only pay for the parts and not for the labor. An application is available at our office located at 40 Langdon Road. Tel: (516) 249-3330.