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 home At school In the office In 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 Graham and 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 TOTAL FLOW JANUARY 29,913,000 FEBRUARY 26,527,000 MARCH 29,194,000 APRIL 30,119,000 MAY 49,435,000 JUNE 77,065,000 JULY 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 MIN 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 MIN 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

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 less of this: 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: Do less 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: Do less 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: Do less 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

BE WATER SMART! Sign up for “The Sign”! BROWN IS THE NEW GREEN! WATER LESS, REDUCE FERTILIZERS   DO YOUR PART: BE WATER SMART!

THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PART TO BE WATER SMART!