water conservation in hammonton save water, save money ! do your part: be water-smart!
TRANSCRIPT
Water Conservation in Hammonton
SAVE WATER,
SAVE MONEY!DO YOUR PART:
BE WATER-SMART!
WATER CONSERVATION IN HAMMONTON
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Kirkwood and Cohansey Aquifers Global, national, and local effects of overuse HOW TO CONSERVE General approach
At homeAt schoolIn the officeIn the community
QUESTIONS
HAMMONTON’S WATER SOURCE
Our bounty lies beneath our feet!
KIRKWOOD AND COHANSEY AQUIFERS
“Our” Aquifers: the Cohansey and the Kirkwood
• The Cohansey sits atop the Kirkwood• Cohansey mostly sand, Kirkwood a mix of sand
and clay• Span some 3,000 square miles• Most “productive” in central portion• Water drawn for use runs over 100,000 gpd• Radium found to occur naturally, and release
may be facilitated by farm chemicals
Article in Philadelphia Inquirer, 1998
Radium tainting water in N.J. wells Unsafe levels were found in six counties. As many as 200,000 private wells may be affected.
By Maureen Grahamand Frederick Cusick
©1998 The Philadelphia Inquirer
Federal scientists have found widespread evidence of cancer-causing agents in the major source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in South Jersey. The findings raise questions among experts about the safety of drinking water from private wells. The U.S. Geological Survey, after an eight-year study, found that 33 percent of the wells tested between 1989 and 1996 had unsafe levels of radium. The USGS analysis, which was released in the past month but not publicized, found unsafe levels of radium in drinking water from wells in these counties: Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland and Ocean. Other areas of New Jersey are being tested.
Hammonton Water Usage
• Calendar Year 2011 • Calendar Year 2012
2011 FLOW
JANUARY 29,913,000
FEBRUARY 26,527,000
MARCH 29,194,000
APRIL 30,119,000
MAY 49,435,000
JUNE 77,065,000JULY 77,600,000
AUGUST 57,315,000
SEPTEMBER 38,720,000
OCTOBER 38,735,000
NOVEMBER 32,021,000
DECEMBER 32,459,000
TOTAL 519,103,000
MAX 77,600,000
MIN 26,527,000
AVG 43,258,583
2012 FLOW
JANUARY 38,175,000
FEBRUARY 25,819,000
MARCH 31,834,000
APRIL 34,830,000
MAY 44,702,000
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
TOTAL 175,360,000
MAX 44,702,000
MIN 25,819,000
AVG 35,072,000
Why is this Important, or “Who cares?”
Globally:• Only 3% of our water is fresh, and 2/3 of that is locked in ice caps and glaciers.• Water increasingly politicized and commercialized
Nationally:• Overuse is drying up major aquifers, like the Ogallala in in the Great Plains, and
California’s Central valley
Locally:• Save money by conserving• Overuse causes groundwater levels to drop, resulting in dried out streams and
rivers. • It can also cause groundwater sources to leak into the aquifer• Conservation allows for new water hook-ups, encouraging town growth• Reducing use of water and fertilizers reduces likelihood of radium in our system
So………
What resources can we use?
What can we do about it?
The MOST Important Resource of All!
Our Brains!
Keep them engaged!
So, what else can we do???
Try
Doing MORE and
Doing LESS! (Huh?)
MORE of the good, less of the “bad”
Do more of this • Do less of this
MORE of the good, less of the “bad”
Do more of this Do less of this
At Home
Do MORE of this:• Fix leaks!• Capture water pre-heating• Run washers only when full• Use Energy Star appliances• “On-demand” hot water systems• Gray water systems• Deeper lawn watering• Hand-held hose watering• Native plants• Rain barrels• Rain sensors on sprinklers• Pool covers
Do less of this:• Long showers (use a timer)• Running water while shaving or
brushing teeth• Unattended running faucets• Cleaning walks/driveways with hose• Frequent lawn watering (“Brown Is
the New Green!”)• Large lawn areas• Watering in the rain or mid-day• Short grass (mow to 3 – 3 1/2 inches)
At School
Do MORE of this:
• Fix leaks• Rain gardens• Water conservation awareness
initiative and student challenges• Student/faculty challenges• Capture roof and parking lot run-
off for irrigation• Compost treatments to build up
soil
Do less of this:
• Large open grounds• Short grass• Unconditioned soil• Inefficient equipment• Old equipment (including toilets)
At Work
Do MORE of this:
• Fix leaks (sound familiar?)• Energy and water audits• Water conservation challenges• Post company water usage• Bottle-less water systems, like
“Quench”• “Water Sense” toilets• Waterless urinals• For more, see “At Home”
Do less of this:
• Not reporting problems, leaving it for the boss, the landlord, the janitor, “whoever”
• Bottled water• Inefficient equipment, including
toilets and cooling equipment
• (Mr. Whoever
In the Community
Do MORE of this:• Report (what else?) LEAKS• Encourage neighborhood to
conserve• Advise businesses of your interest
in conservation• Participate in local boards,
commissions, and committees• Support community efforts to
reduce waste: sign up for one of our “Brown is the New Green!” lawn signs when they become available!
Do less of this:• Being a bad example• Ignoring thoughtless behavior• Waiting for “the other guy” to fix
things• Not understanding the problem
Sign up for “The Sign”!
BROWN IS THE NEW GREEN!
WATER LESS,REDUCE FERTILIZERS
DO YOUR PART:
BE WATER SMART!
THANK YOU
FORDOING YOUR PART
TO BE
WATER SMART!