Water Conservation Becoming Ever More Necessary
Ironically, though water covers two thirds of our planet, clean drinking water and in some places, water itself, is becoming scarcer by the minute. City municipalities are struggling to keep up with demand from an ever-growing population.
Cities and states around the country are imploring people to reduce their water usage through increased conservation measures.
West Coast Water Woes
California is in the throws of a three-year drought (the worst in decades), that has potentially dire consequences for many areas of the state.
Despite California Governor Jerry Brown’s plea for a voluntary statewide reduction in water usage by 20%, reports show only a 5% reduction for the past year. Moreover, based on data from a year ago, water usage in May actually went up by 1% over last years’ figures forcing regulators to take drastic measures in an effort to curb consumption.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus remarked, “Not everybody in California understands how bad this drought is and how bad it could be…there are communities in danger of running out of water all across the state.”
Based on these latest grim figures, the board last week in an effort to curb usage and water waste, broached the subject of fines for violators, and as recently as Tuesday night (07-15), adopted measures giving the police authority to enforce water conservation and write tickets to those deemed to be wasteful water consumers.
What actions constitute a violation of the new laws? According to the board, things we used to take for granted such as washing your car, watering the lawn, hosing down the sidewalk or even fountains that run continually. Violators can expect to see fines running as high as $500.00 per day.
So great is the threat that should these measures fall short in curtailing water usage, the board is prepared to up the ante with increased fines and even tighter restrictions for landscaping.
Even with the extra rainfall and snow expected by El Nino this winter, California will remain under drought conditions well into next year.
What Can We Do Where We Live To Conserve Water?
Most of us don’t live in California but are not immune from contributing to a national and even global water shortage. Wasting water affects everyone on the planet. With just a few modifications to our daily routines and a concentrated effort toward awareness, we can do our part to preserve water supplies and ensure safe drinking water for all of our brothers and sisters around the globe.
Five simple steps you can take at home to reduce your water-footprint.
- Don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth
- Soak encrusted pots and pans instead of letting the water run while scraping them
- While waiting for tap water to get hot, collect the cool running water for plants
- When doing laundry, match the water level to the load size
- If you drop some ice cubes, throw them into a houseplant instead of the sink
While they may not seem like much, collectively, these small steps can be a big step toward water conservation that will help to reduce water waste.
In fact, here are five more measures you can take to help even further.
- Pruning your plants allows them to use water more efficiently
- When the kids want to run through the sprinkler, place it in an area that needs watering
- Rinse your razor in a plugged sink, this will save you up to 300 gallons of water per year
- When leaving the hose on for watering, set a timer to remember to turn it off
- Take a five-minute shower – you can save 150 gallons of water a month
At Tyent USA, water is our business. But it’s also our business to help conserve and protect it by enlightening the public and making us all aware that water is one of our most precious and essential elements for life on this planet. We encourage you to use it wisely.
To learn more about the purest, freshest, ionized alkaline water you can drink, please visit us at Tyentusa.com.
Image credit
123rf.com
California info
Michael Winter-USA Today
Conservation at home
Wateruseitwisely.com
