nrgideas’s posterous

By: Steve Hayslip

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Second graders at Hunters Bend Elementary in Franklin learned about water conservation in a most unique way, from fifth grade students at the school. 

The program is called "Don't be a water hog, be a water hero." It was developed months ago by Belmont University, which then partnered with the Franklin water department and Hunters Bend Elementary. 

Several fifth graders conducted experiments with the second graders to illustrate various ways to save water, or be a water hero. The youngsters learned the lessons well.   

"Don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth," said 7-year-old Cara Moyers. 

Franklin is hoping to spread the conservation message to other schools within the city. 

We all do it. We leave the water running while we brush our teeth, hose off patios because it is a lot easier than sweeping and put off fixing leaky taps until the sound of incessant dripping drives us insane. For most people, water conservation is one of the last items on their endless “to do” lists. As we neglect to pay attention to our usage of this invaluable good, negligence is more likely to catch up with us when it is too late.

As water becomes more scarce, we all must make a move toward a more sustainable future.

The earth’s water supply is finite and as world populations increase, it will become more scarce. Already shortages are beginning to constrain growth in areas such as China, Australia, India and Indonesia and water conflicts are expected to erupt in the Middle East, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Colombia and other countries. No effort is too small, so try to take shorter showers, turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, sweep patios instead of hosing them off, run appliances with a full load in order to run fewer cycles and most of all, advocate for reform in water pricing systems to encourage others to do the same. Now is the time.

Pasadena residents are limited to just one outdoor watering day a week after the city’s first-ever winter water restrictions took effect Sunday.

In the summer, sprinklers were allowed to run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Now residents must choose just one of those days each week to water their lawns, although the restriction does not apply to watering by hand or drip irrigation systems.

After Pasadena experienced record-low rainfall two years ago, the city implemented a water conservation plan that required the regulation of sprinkler systems, prohibited residents from hosing down pavement and required the immediate repair of leaky plumbing fixtures.

“As far as switching to the winter schedule, we have to be really aggressive about getting the word out since people only just adjusted to the three-day-a-week schedule -- but they’ll get the message,” said Erica Rolufs, spokeswoman for Pasadena Water and Power. “The city overall is using less water in this fiscal year to date than it has since 1994, so people are responding really well.”

Postcards and newsletters will be sent out to all Pasadena residents and businesses, as well as those in Altadena who are Pasadena Water and Power customers. The department employs 19 people who report violations, which can incur a fine of up to $1,000. The winter water restriction will continue until March 31.

Now is the time to get started on a conservation plan to improve water quality.

It is a known fact that 70% of the earth’s surface is made up of water. But did you know that only 1% is in the drinkable form of fresh water?

Conservation buffers are a simple way for farmers and land owners to protect water quality while maintaining profitability. Buffers are narrow strips of land planted to permanent vegetation such as native grasses, shrubs and or trees. Some common sense buffer practices include: grass filter strips, riparian forest buffers, contour buffer strips, grassed waterways, and wetland restoration projects.

It is through the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) that one can receive economic returns for those marginal areas of croplands that border waterways. Recently CCRP programs have become producer friendly and cost effective. Some programs offer up to 90% or more cost share for the installation, a one-time sign up bonus ranging from $100-150 per acre at the start of the contract, and annual rental payments averaging $30-60 per acre depending on soil type. These programs were designed to keep your topsoil in the field, filter contaminants from surface water and to improve wildlife habitat while maintaining agriculture.

So the bottom line is don’t hesitate. With grass planting season just around the corner, now is the time to start planning your buffers.

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