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City of Anderson urges voluntary water conservation
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ANDERSON — With no end in sight to a drought plaguing the Southeast, Electric City Utilities customers are being asked to voluntarily cut their water usage.
The state’s Drought Response Committee recently categorized the drought’s affect on Anderson County as “severe” – the second-highest of the five drought categories. The state has already imposed mandatory restrictions in surrounding counties, including Oconee, Pickens and Greenville.
“If we don’t put the word out there, we definitely know we’re not going to get any reaction,” said Jeff Caldwell, the city’s utilities director.
The Upstate is more than 10 inches below its normal rainfall for the year, according to the National Weather Service in Greer. Hartwell Lake, the water source for Anderson and other members of the Anderson Regional Joint Water System, is only two feet from its next drought trigger. Some ways residents can save water include:
- no longer washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways and other hard surface areas;
- no longer washing down buildings unless it’s for immediate fire protection;
- stop flushing out gutters on houses;
- use a car wash instead of washing cars, boats, and other vehicles at home;
- reduce the amount of water used to water lawns, trees, gardens and shrubs. If outdoor watering is necessary, it should be done between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The city of Anderson issued a statement late Monday evening pledging to increase its efforts to identify and correct water leaks in the system. Officials also are cutting the number of times they flush water through the system, flushing only when it’s required to meet water quality standards.
City officials said they will push water conservation until the Drought Response Committee downgrades local drought conditions. If conditions intensify, residents could be asked to take more extensive steps to preserve the water supply, according to the statement.
Caldwell said he suspects the state will impose mandatory water restrictions in Anderson within the next month.
“We just keep praying for rain,” he said.
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this is why i get angry when i see people watering their lawns. being able to afford it doesn't make it ok to waste it.
I am curious why communities wait so long to start imposing water restrictions. I am not just referring to Anderson, but Atlanta and other areas as well that seem to wait until the situation is dire before asking imposing mandatory/voluntary conservation. It seems to me that the situation would not be as bad if we had started conserving at the first signs of drought instead of now. However, I am happy to conserve and hopeful that eventually we can get out of this dry pattern and get some water back in Hartwell Pond.
Some of us do start conserving at the beginning. But most people, and businesses, continue to waste water. How many of you care whether a place of business has a nice lawn? I would respect someone/place more who showed signs of caring, rather than a nice, green lawn. I am not vain enough to think a clean car is more important than the whole area having enough water. It all adds up.
I water my lawn daily and will do so until regulations are made mandatory.
Get made all you want but it's not of your business what I do...
I have a absolutly beautiful house and will keep my lawn as green as I can for as long as I can...
Glad to hear you have a nice house. With citizens like you we can all look forward to a much drier summer with less water to go around.
Businesses have to do their part too. Raising the cost of usage above a certain amount might be the answer.
in response to The_Sundance_Kid
Frequent watering promotes shallower root systems and weeds. If you don't water every day the roots seek moisture and grow deeper, thus doing better in the heat and drought.
We all share our natural resources so wasting water, electricity, gasoline, etc. affects everybody.
in response to The_Sundance_Kid
Isn't pride one of the seven deadlies?
in response to The_Sundance_Kid
Exactly the reason why mandatory restrictions should be in place. Jerks like you don't care about the resources everyone has to share... Until it's too late, then you'll probably be complaining the loudest about how much water costs!
Ok, I don't water my grass every day.
About 3 times a week at most.
But thanks for calling me a Jerk, I really appreciate it.
So adult of you.
If Mandatory restrictions are put in place I will follow them, until then, I'll do as I please.
Also, as far as Pride goes.
I take Pride in everything I do and if more people did the world would be a lot better place.
Sundance are you a cumudgeon?
in response to The_Sundance_Kid
I agree and I have cut down on my watering, no longer the lawn, but I do still water the plants. Do any of you realize that if you keep green areas, the plants absorb, through osmosis and diffusion, a great deal of the greenhouse gasses and produce more oxygen (needed to hold moisture in the air)? There is a fine line, but responsibility is the key. Also, if you have fast growing shade trees, your home climate control works better and uses less energy, thereby cutting down on energy use and greenhouse gases. Think about it and if you don't like what Sun_Dance_Kid does, oh well, at least he/she is not afraid to tell the truth about things. To paraphrase a popular song "...you've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string." Don't waste, use in moderation, be honest, and stop being judgemental I bet there are some things we all do that are wasteful and could use improvement, "...let he who is without sin cast the first stone." :)
in response to The_Sundance_Kid
You are wrong in saying "it's not of your business what i do". It is everyones business when it comes to the water. You are not the only one who needs it. EVERYONE needs water so therefore, it IS everyones business. Also, check the grammer. Get mad, not made also an absolutely not a absolutly.
Also, consider reusing water from kiddie pools and pet water that is nonpotable to water things and if you do water, make sure it is in a mist and not wasted on sidewalks and streets, do it at night so the plants can get more use (watering in the middle of the day will sunburn grass and plants anyway). Some small pointers. Also, it is important to have a certain amount of moisture to keep down dust which can restrict operating systems and make them use more energy for cooling motors (such as our computers, cars, and air conditioners) As my 100 year old great grandmother used to say, use some sense...we will all be better off.
in response to browneyedgirl
this is not grammar class, though grammar is important, but "everyones" should have an apostrophe. geesh
in response to browneyedgirl
You may also want to change grammer to grammar, just a thought. :)
Lawn watering is only part of the problem. Fixing leaky faucets and toilets can save water.
Washing a full load of clothes or dishes is recommended. Shower instead of a bathtub full of water. If you do use a tub you can use the water to flush the toilet. A few years back California was in a severe water crunch. Turning off the shower water while soaping then turning it on to rinse can save lots of water. Let's learn from those who have already been in our shoes.
Some don't understand the business budget.
They allot x dollars for their water budget.
If they don't use it all, next year it is less.
That's why you see sprinkler's running regardless of rain.
Please be conservative in all aspects. Your future and the future of the unborn depend on it.
PS: If my spelling or grammer is not up to your standards keep that opinion to yourself.
Rule 5, 6, & 7 apply to you!
Water between 10pm and 6am? Most people are settled in for the night at those hours.
Having lived with drought in California, I started cutting back last year with the simple things - flushing the toilet only when necessary, not running the water when brushing teeth & washing up, only watering specific plants/veggies & not my huge yard, reusing as much water as I can, etc. I don't wait until 10pm to water, but I do water at dusk when it's very hot. The little things really add up when it comes to water usage.
Water consumption is everyone's business.
in response to mdale
Well said and good suggestions! Anderson County pay attention and let's all work together.
in response to dadof5
No, i don't want to change it. Thanks for the suggestion and now, go take an ex-lax so maybe you won't be in such a crappy mood. Just a thought :)
in response to browneyedgirl
I'm not in a crappy mood, I just have kids in school and am hoping that you are not an English teacher. It does strike me as obvious that you were in school before the current Bush administration and got left behind (at least in English). It stands then, that you are the one suffering from irregularity and saw the blogs, wanted to pick on someone, and did so to two bloggers while you made grammatical and spelling errors in both of your critques. Now, if you are not an editor, stay on subject and leave editing to someone more qualified. By the way, I dropped out of school after 8th grade, and I found your errors. Please use the preview and edit options before sending. Ciao.
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