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Wasting water will be a future problem
<br />^ More than double
<br />the amount of water is
<br />used in the summer,
<br />mostly for lawns, which
<br />could mean future
<br />water shoratges
<br />by Elizabeth Cook
<br />Staff writer
<br />While many might think
<br />water is a never-ending,
<br />free flowing resource, the
<br />truth is, it's not.
<br />Bryan Adams, the gener-
<br />al manager for Elk River
<br />Municipal Utilities, said
<br />since water usage is at an
<br />all time high, the risk for
<br />further depletion of the
<br />resource is becoming a real
<br />danger:
<br />The average person `uses
<br />65 gallons of water per day
<br />in order to carry out their
<br />domestic needs like sh
<br />ering, washing clothes
<br />the ground, Adams said.
<br />In Elk River, the water
<br />comes from Mt. Simon-
<br />Hinckley and has seven
<br />wells dug into it, soon to be
<br />eight.
<br />It's the amount of water
<br />usage that dictates how
<br />many wells and what the
<br />cost will be of water, Adams
<br />said.
<br />People commonly think
<br />that something like water-
<br />ing the lawn shouldn't be
<br />a problem since the water
<br />is just going back into the
<br />ground, but it's not true
<br />because the wells are dug
<br />and Water to page 8 the sprinkling season.
<br />ow- The above graph shows the spike in water use during
<br />mater: Perceptiar~ t~lat water is free, urlirnited resource warrisame
<br />:;00 to -!QO frt~t into tlm
<br />sfrrrurxi. ~~dnms raid. '1'}ri:
<br />means it takr~s apprrxi-
<br />nuafcly 70,000 ycar.~ Iirr tha
<br />water used in a sprinkler to
<br />~*et bacl: to
<br />~whr~re it
<br />can ii E'
<br />humped
<br />,' -
<br />out, for
<br />u.,e. ~ ~.
<br />h: ~~ e n
<br />vvlren it
<br />rains, it
<br />talZrs ,lust
<br />"s l""g t"O Bryan Adams
<br />rr•l>lenish
<br />1"h c+ supply.
<br />:`\h'e're taking vaater out of
<br />the round quicker tht3n it's
<br />br~in,t; re}rlenished," he said.
<br />IC this keeps Irappe-ning,
<br />th<a ncht generation ~i~ill see
<br />water shortage=,.
<br />"~'vre .u ~er r't d o i n g' t he future
<br />gener;,tions an}~ favors by
<br />the ~a~:ry we cunrutne water,"
<br />he said.
<br />keen though overusing
<br />is a prohlern nmv, there's
<br />., simple solution: `I'rcat
<br />water as a resource and
<br />dnn't waste it.
<br />"1 think the perception is
<br />that waters fi-ce " Adams
<br />acid "Jt.'s ncf an indafi-
<br />nitc :uurce rand water ien'L
<br />free."
<br />1'eruhle are encouraged
<br />to he cautions w~lx~n using
<br />tnttumatic timed sprinklers
<br />because these will run even
<br />whet] ltti ratmng, K`171 I'll 1J
<br />:r waste.
<br />C~csidents arr. en~uur<?~ed
<br />to nut over' water the 1, rase
<br />water belirre l0 a.ru or alter
<br />6 p.m. and nxrw the lawn at
<br />the hiKhest settin[;.
<br />Tips to decrease
<br />wrater usage:
<br />In the bathroom -
<br />1) Check the toilet 1cr leeks
<br />Puf v 1i111e toad colGi~ng un ihn
<br />`We aren't doing future generations any
<br />favors by the way we consume water.'
<br />- Bryan Adams, general manager, Elk River Municipal Utilities
<br />washing dishes, Adams
<br />said.
<br />This domestic use ends up
<br />being about 1.5 million gal-
<br />lons of water a day for the
<br />entire city of Elk River.
<br />But in the summer, when
<br />people are trying to keep
<br />their lawns fresh and green
<br />with sprinklers, the usage
<br />goes up to about 7 mil-
<br />lion gallons per day. That's
<br />5.5 million gallons beyond
<br />domestic usage, he said.
<br />Now water isn't this never-
<br />ending supply that comes
<br />from nowhere, instead it
<br />comes from wells that are
<br />dug from an aquifer, which
<br />is sandstone underneath
<br />tank and if olGring k cgins
<br />to appaar m ire bowl it has
<br />r~ IP_dk
<br />2) Don"t use the toil t as
<br />a trash bin c,r asi~rfray E«.y
<br />firr,r it's flushed, i1 uses five to
<br />seven gallons of water.
<br />3j Put water-filled plastic boi-
<br />?les with 2 mch~s of pct b!cs
<br />aside the batlLs in the 1oC~ei
<br />tanR.7hrs will c~.r down on the
<br />rnnount of wafer waste.
<br />4~ Take Shorter showed,
<br />Ind if all pos. ble take baths
<br />aisiecd A both in a parfic~l!y
<br />f Ilea tub uses ~e "s wata~ than
<br />all but the shortest sh; wets
<br />b) Install water-saving sh~"•w-
<br />er h@adS 0! fOW frSiliC10(S.
<br />7) Turn off the wafer while
<br />brushing teeth.
<br />8) Rinse a rcuoi in the sink
<br />by filling the bottom with
<br />a few ruches of water and
<br />leaning it in there.
<br />9) Check fan ~ets for leaks
<br />In the kitchen and with
<br />laundry -
<br />1) Ilse c~,ttontatic dishwash-
<br />er and washing mocFrinr
<br />only for frail loads.
<br />2) WY~cn washing dishes by
<br />Y;and, don't leave the water
<br />running. E!iher fill one sink
<br />with soapy water and the
<br />other vdah water to rinse, or if
<br />there s only one sink, use that
<br />for soapy wrter and Ihen
<br />f,lace c II dishes in a rack
<br />~ r d either arse them with a
<br />"pray dF~i~e ur panful of hot
<br />wa to r
<br />4) Don'I let the faucet run
<br />while washing vegetables
<br />Outside -
<br />1)Water the lawn only wr~~en
<br />it's Herded and make sure icy
<br />deep-soak i1
<br />2j Don"f wah;r the gutter or
<br />paved areas
<br />3) PIan1 dreg ght reslstanf
<br />Tres anU plants.
<br />4) Put a layer of mulch
<br />around Trees and pl~n.fs (his
<br />will slaw evaporation of mois-
<br />ture and discourage wi~ea
<br />growth toy.
<br />5) U;e a b~oam to clean
<br />1hr~ drlves~ay a!rd sidewalk,
<br />n0? Walef
<br />6) Dnn~t run ih~~ hose the
<br />whole time while washing the
<br />car, onry use ~t to wash the
<br />Soap Gil
<br />7) Tell children not t~ play
<br />with the hose and ,pri~kier;
<br />8) Install a drip irngation sys-
<br />tem for shrubs. hang!ng bas-
<br />kets. flower and vegetable
<br />gardens. These Systems use
<br />50 pc;rcent IP,sS vvptG'r than
<br />conventional sprinklers"
<br />9j Group plants wi1P? similar
<br />watering needs together.
<br />This tank helps in the process of getting from the aquifer, it goes to plants in Elk
<br />water. After water is pumped out of wells River to be treated for domestic use.
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