As the Irrigation Season Begins, Water District Urges Residents to ‘Be Smart and Green, Save 15’

Continuing with the successful launch of its Be Smart and Green, Save 15 water conservation campaign in 2016, the Port Washington Water District (PWWD) is encouraging residents to embrace basic water saving measures to reduce water consumption by 15 percent. With irrigation season (May through September) having the single greatest impact on residential water consumption, the PWWD will be working with residents to see how irrigation water use can be reduced.

“The Be Smart and Green, Save 15 campaign is all about generating awareness for the need and importance of preserving our most precious natural resource,” said PWWD Chairman David Brackett. “Water conservation is always an important endeavor, but particularly important for an area like Port Washington, where our fresh water supply is surrounded by saltwater. Pumping more water lowers the level of fresh water in the aquifer and provides an opportunity for saltwater to leach into the supply—increasing the likelihood of saltwater contamination. The summer months, or the irrigation season as we call it, provide us with the greatest opportunity to make an impact on our water usage by being more conscious of the water we use to irrigate our lawns and gardens.”

In 2016, the PWWD pumped more than 1.4 billion gallons of water from the aquifer for the 30,000 residents it serves. 860 million gallons, or 58 percent, of this water was pumped between the months of May and September to meet demands caused by irrigation systems. According to the EPA, a significant portion of the extra water pumped for lawn irrigation is wasted due to inefficient and improperly managed systems. Over the coming months, the PWWD will be focusing its conservation efforts on residential users and implementing several initiatives dedicated to help homeowners save water.

“Conserving water does not mean your lawn and garden has to suffer,” said PWWD Commissioner Mindy Germain. “There are smart ways to implement water saving devices and methods to ensure your landscaping remains green while simultaneously saving water. Our goal for the Be Smart and Green, Save 15 campaign this year is to further educate our residents of the new tools and services the water district is providing that will enable the community to reach our 15 percent water reduction goal.”

During last summer’s campaign, the PWWD piloted the use of smart irrigation system controller technology to test its effectiveness at saving water. Making no changes other than replacing their standard irrigation timer with this water-saving device, residents of the District saved more than 52,000 gallons of water—equivalent to a 70 percent reduction in irrigation water usage when compared to the previous year. Realizing the effectiveness of this technology and the contributions it can make to the District’s water saving goals, the PWWD will be implementing a rebate program to further incentivize high-usage residents to install this water saving technology at their homes. On and first- come, first- serve basis, the PWWD will issue $150 rebates to qualifying residents who swap out their old irrigation timer for a smart irrigation system controller.

The PWWD will also be offering its largest residential water users free consultation services to evaluate their current water/irrigation systems to assist in decreasing their water use. The purpose of this service is to help homeowners look for leaks and other inefficiencies that unnecessarily wasting water. In addition, the District will disseminate constant notices of current Nassau County odd/even lawn watering schedule and the restriction of lawn watering between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

“Many homeowners are unaware of inefficiencies that exist in their water and irrigation systems or the ordinances in place by Nassau County,” said PWWD Commissioner Peter Meyer. “Our goal is to help residents realize the simple changes they can make to their daily habits that will have an impact on their water use. With that being said, we don’t want people to misconstrue the intent of this campaign. It’s not about telling people to stop watering their lawns; it’s about education and being smart with your use. We hope our residents view this campaign as an obligation to their community and understand the impact a 15 percent reduction will have on the sustainability of their water supply in the future.”

PWWD customers looking to learn more about the Be Smart and Green, Save 15 water conservation campaign, and the services and incentives being offered, are encouraged to visit the District’s revamped website at www.pwwd.org. Customers are also encouraged to “like” the District’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pwwaterdistrict) to stay up-to-date with campaign updates and to post about their participation in the water conservation campaign using #Save15. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact 516-767-0171 or email info@pwwd.org.