Press Releases

Contact: Public Relations Department
Suffolk County Water Authority
PO Box 37
Oakdale NY 11769
(631) 563-0296

June 20, 2006
Water Conservation Tips from the Suffolk County Water Authority

Summer is upon us and with the advent of warm, dry weather comes increased water use. While supplies are adequate to meet the needs of customers even in the driest of conditions, the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) urges residents and businesses to be judicious with their water use. “In the cold winter months we can provide for everyone’s water needs from 100 wells in our system, but in the heat of summer we need 500 wells,” said Stephen Jones, Chief Executive Officer. “Automatic sprinkler irrigation accounts for the majority of this additional seasonal demand.”

Many hints for water conservation can be found at www.scwa.com, including:

• Running your sprinklers a bit longer but less often (once or twice a week rather than every day) to promote deep root growth for lawns.
• Watering lawns on an “odd-even” schedule based on your address (an odd or even number) or on an odd or even calendar date.
• Watching for leaks in sprinkler pipes and garden hoses.
• Using solar blankets for pools, to not only raise temperature, but also reduce evaporation.
• Planting drought-tolerant species of plants that don’t require a lot of watering.
• Sweeping, rather than hosing off, hard surfaces.

Proper lawn care is essential not only as a water conservation measure, but as a means to cut down on surface and groundwater pollution. Additional information on sound lawn care practices can be found at www.scwa.com or at the Long Island Neighborhood Network website: www.neighborhood-network.org

Over the past several years, the SCWA has spent more than $1 million promoting proper lawn watering and lawn care and has worked with various organizations such as the Neighborhood Network, the Irrigation Contractors Association and the Long Island Groundwater Research Institute. Also, the SCWA continues to work in Albany to get legislation passed to license all irrigation contractors in New York.

In addition to retrofitting hundreds of hotels and motels with water conserving showerheads at its own expense, the SCWA is currently testing, with select residential and business customers, a variety of water conservation devices. These include rain sensors so sprinklers stop running in the rain, and pre-rinse sprayer attachments for restaurants, which use significantly less water when cleaning dishes. The SCWA continues to work, as it always has, to not only better understand, but also preserve and protect Suffolk’s drinking water supply.

“Our drinking water supplies in Suffolk County are one of our most precious resources,” said Michael A. LoGrande, Chairman of SCWA. “We must not only be vigilant in guarding against pollution of groundwater, but responsible with what we use, so that we will have a bountiful and high quality water supply for future generations of Suffolk County residents.”