Tips to increase your water conservation

With all this rain we have been receiving it is hard to understand how nearly 40 percent of Florida can be experiencing drought conditions – South Florida (especially Palm Beach), North Florida, and the Panhandle. While we are not in drought condition here, water restrictions are in force in Central Florida, which I believe should become permanent based on recent projections of water needs in our community.

The Central Florida Water Initiative, which is comprised of Polk, Orange, Seminole and South Lake counties, predicts that our population growth will require 1.1 million gallons per day. Yet we only have identified resources of 850,000. The CFWI has identified numerous projects that could cover this additional 350,000 needed, but at a cost of a staggering $3.7 billion. And remember this is just for Central Florida.

Water conservation is the best and least expensive way to meet the projected gap. And Floridians have been doing a good job. Since 2006 our per capita consumption has dropped nearly 27 percent in Central Florida. And while this is impressive, we still consume 40-50 percent more than our European counterparts.

In Winter Park we consume 121 gallons per capita per day (GPCD), slightly less than the area average of 142 GPCD. The figure is based on all water consumption including commercial, agriculture, and residential. This translates to an annual average usage of 128,000 gallons or nearly 11,000 gallons a month for each residence. Seems like a lot but you will be surprised when you check your bill this month.

A lot of our usage is dependent on drought conditions. So with all the rains we should all be below our normal usage, as I am told that almost 50 percent of our water is used for irrigation. In fact, the last time we had a major drought here in 2006, our community used more water than we were permitted to draw from the aquifer as we tried to save our landscape from burning up.

Here are some ideas to improve or start you water conservation efforts:

• Use lake water if you have access. Lake water is nitrogen enriched so you can reduce/eliminate the need to fertilize.

• Get rid of St. Augustine grass and plant drought tolerant and native vegetation. My family did this five years ago and we have seen a significant water savings.

• Install a rain barrel. This is simple, takes 10 minutes, and is great for watering plants and gardens.

• Install low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads. Winter Park offers rebates on installation of low-flow toilets.

• For the ambitious, install a graywater system. This is the emerging trend in California.

You can find many more ideas on the internet and on city websites including Winter Park at http://bit.ly/WPwater and Maitland at http://bit.ly/MaitlandWater; or check out water-saving tips from St. John’s Water Management District at http://bit.ly/StJohnsWater.

Michael Poole is a resident of Winter Park and is a sustainable community activist.