A New Era Of Water Conservation
by Rebecca Wodder, American Rivers 
on 10.31.07
It used to be that only people in the dry western part of our country had to worry about drought, and the rest of us could enjoy our lush lawns and long showers, believing that our water supply was endless.
Well, guess again. The extreme drought in the Southeast shows that no region of our country is immune to severe water shortages.
We’ve all seen the TV footage of the dry lake beds, and every day we hear about cities like Raleigh, NC that have less than 100 days of water left in their dwindling supplies.
As our country’s population grows, so do the demands on our rivers and lakes – where most of our drinking water comes from. Paving over watersheds with sprawl is paving our way to water shortages. Water runs off pavement rapidly, instead of soaking into the ground to replenish groundwater supplies. And, global warming is putting an added strain on communities’ water supplies.
Hoping for rain is not the solution. Building expensive new dams and engineering massive transfers of water from one watershed to another won’t solve our problems either.
We need a solution that will ensure sustainable water supplies for our communities, and keep our rivers, lakes and streams – the source of our drinking water – clean and healthy.
So it is time to call for a new era of water conservation in our country. We need to start treating water like the most precious resource we have – wherever we live. We need to realize that the more we waste water, the less water is available for our neighbors as well as the fish and wildlife in our local streams. Ultimately, wasting water hurts not only the environment but our local economies, recreation opportunities and our quality of life.
The director of one North Carolina water system told the Herald-Sun newspaper, “We should use water for essential uses only, because the water we don’t use for discretionary purposes, like watering your lawn, may be needed to drink or cook or shower next year.”
Cities and states must step up and do their part. They should encourage water conservation through measures like tiered water pricing and by developing comprehensive water plans. And yes, they need to impose common sense restrictions. Austin, Texas is a good example – there, the city bans outdoor watering during the hottest part of the day, between 10am and 7pm, when water just evaporates rather than soaking in.
We as individuals can really make a difference in our daily actions. Here are five things you can do to save water, save money, and ensure that we have sustainable water supplies and healthy rivers in our future:
Hold your elected officials accountable: Has your city taken steps to encourage water conservation? If not, urge your elected officials to take action. Cities should provide incentives for low-impact development and water-saving plumbing fixtures; improve pricing systems for water; implement appropriate guidelines for water use; and, develop sustainable long-term water plans.Be water-wise around the house: Simple things, like running the dishwasher only when it’s full, washing only full loads of clothes, and taking shorter showers can save hundreds of gallons over the course of a week. And don’t forget to fix those leaky faucets -- this can save you up to 100 gallons a day!
Install water-saving plumbing fixtures: The Environmental Protection Agency has launched its WaterSense program and some cities – like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, New York, and many others – are providing rebates for installing high-efficiency toilets, low-flow faucets and shower heads.
Make your brown lawn a source of pride: How about we start a new trend –making a brown lawn a source of pride? A badge of honor that says, “Protecting my community’s drinking water supply and the health of our rivers is more important than a little patch of grass.” We must come to grips with the fact that watering the lawn wastes a lot of water. As Sally Bethea with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in Atlanta, has pointed out, outdoor watering may account for at least 20 percent of the Atlanta region's total water usage.
Use attractive, drought-friendly landscaping: If a brown lawn isn’t your thing, consider getting rid of your lawn altogether and creating a drought-friendly landscape. There are many beautiful plants that don’t require a lot of water. When you do need to water, turn to rain barrels – these simple containers collect the water from your gutters and downspouts.
With the combined realities of population growth, paved-over watersheds, and global warming, we are facing, and will continue to face, unprecedented water challenges. But the future doesn’t need to be bleak. I’m actually quite hopeful -- I believe we are going to see more and more communities across the country embracing a new era of water conservation, ensuring their citizens – and their rivers – are healthy and thriving for years to come.
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I think the EPA needs to revisit water efficiencies ratings for fixtures. Primarily the shower. Yes our shower heads are limited to 2.5gpm, but what is stopping people from installing 10 shower heads into one shower unit? Now if that is not a blatant misuse of water, I do not know what else is.
I live in NC, and am shocked at how many companies are still getting away with watering thier tiny strips of grass surrounding the parking lots! Come on now, the majority of that water ends up on the pavement. Also, last week the fire dept. uncapped the fire hydrant and water was gushing everywhere. Is this really necessary? I grey water recycle and conserve. I love lakes...
while changes on the individual behavior level are definitely warranted, i think a lot of attention should be aimed at industry consumption as well. there are a lot of areas of the country where water scarcity should not be a problem, but some huge manufacturing plant is using half of the available drinking water. in cases like that, shouldn't the burden be placed on that company to import water to meet their needs?
Why don't the nuclear power plants pump out pure, distilled drinking water?
allot of waste water treatment plants pump there water out to see why don't we at least use that water to water our grass, gardens, farmland and nuclear power plants it makes sense to me. But I guess there is no money in common sense or is there hmmmm.
allot of waste water treatment plants pump there water out to sea. Why don't we use that water to water our grass,farmland and even for nuclear power plants. Makes sense to me it would save allot of water.
lush, private, green golf courses....
anybody ever hear of waterless urinals? they use the same drain pipe, but do not need to be flushed, saving money and conserving water. contact me for more info
I love this line:
"Hold your elected officials accountable: Has your city taken steps to encourage water conservation? "
Pah-leeze! We elect the same officials year over, and usually the mantra is develop-develop (gotta build up the tax base!). IF we actually paid the REAL price for water, infrastructure, etc. we would be outraged.
Personal responsibility: be responsible/informed consumers (or not-consume), be responsible/informed VOTERS and think about how we develop (or not develop!) and live in harmony with the land is the only way to avoid drought and these situations.
..and vote the developers off the councils, planning boards, etc and actually getting someone with a bit of common sense would also help.
Cheers,
Tom-tom
Brac Greywater Recycling System
Southern Energy Solutions www.soenso.com of Marietta, Georgia, in suburban Atlanta, is a dealer of a packaged system called the Brac Greywater Recycling System.
The Brac Greywater Recycling System takes in greywater, also spelled graywater (bath/shower/laundry/air conditioner condensate), filters and treats it, then sends it on demand to be reused for toilet flushing. This can save the average homeowner 30% or more on potable water usage.
This system is most easily installed in new construction or major remodeling of homes because of plumbing considerations.
Southern Energy Solutions
www.soenso.com
Visit YouTube, where you'll find an offbeat view of the future water woes with helpful tips to save water indoors. Do not come with a dry sense of humor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVRJ7FLT_oU