Water Conservation in Hammonton SAVE WATER, SAVE MONEY ! DO YOUR PART: BE WATER-SMART!

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!