It’s been a glorious summer.
Temperatures are in the Goldilocks zone. The sun shines nearly every day; breezes are cool.
The only thing missing — until yesterday — was rain.
Despite those downpours, lower rainfall than normal, plus high water demand (pools and lawns, we’re talking about you), led Connecticut’s lnteragency Drought Working Group has to declare Stage 2 Drought conditions for the entire state.
Aquarion has instituted a mandatory, twice-weekly irrigation schedule for 13 towns. Westport is one of 7 in Fairfield County. The others are Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, New Canaan, Newtown and Stamford.
For homeowners, that means sprinkler usage is based on the last digit of the house address.
If your house number ends in an even number, or you have no house number, you can use a sprinkler on Sundays and Wednesdays only, from midnight to 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight.
If your house number ends in an odd number, you can use a sprinkler only on Saturdays and Tuesdays, from midnight to 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight.
Aquarion encourages customers living outside the 13 towns to voluntarily follow the same schedule.
Aquarion president Donald Morrissey says, “Our reservoir levels are currently sufficient, and we’re hopeful that rain amounts will soon return to normal. With our customers’ support, we are better able to mitigate the impacts of the current drought conditions.”
Hmmmm….
Other outdoor conservation measures include:
- Adjusting your lawn mower to a higher setting. A taller lawn provides shade to the roots and helps retain soil moisture, so lawns requires less water.
- Adjusting sprinklers so they water theh lawn and garden only, not the street or sidewalk.
- Using hand watering or drip irrigation for shrubs and flowers.
- Delaying new plantings until fall.
- Inspecting irrigation systems for leaks, broken lines or blockages. In addition to water, this saves money and time.
Indoor water conservation measures include:
- Turning off water while lathering up, shaving or brushing teeth.
- Minimizing baths, and the amount of water used for them. Trim one minute off the length of your showers.
- Washing only full loads in dishwashers and washing machines.
- Hand washing dishes in a pan or the sink, not under continuous running water.
- Reusing dehumidifier water, or using a bucket to capture shower and bath water while waiting for it to warm up; then using that to water plants.
Click here for additional water conservation tips.
(“06880” is a full-service blog — and dependent on reader contributions. Please click here to support our work.)
And will the town stop wasting water on Longshore?
Why is a waste if it keeps things green and brings in the green. This town is about money, Jersey boy.
Thanks for the great tips.
In California in the 80s they encouraged water conservation with:
If it is yellow, let it mellow,
if it is brown, flush it down.
Tell that to the builder on Colony. He has one of those farm king sized sprinklers going 24/7.