Drops in the Bucket - from Tank to Tap and Back Again!
As a kid living in Kincardine on Lake Huron, I was surrounded by water. Magically it came out of the taps too!
Now as an adult I am far more conscious of the fact that despite water seeming plentiful here in Canada, that unfortunately is not the case here in Canada or around the globe. Recent extreme weather events point to the fact that water is an unpredictable resource that is directly impacted by the climate.
To ensure water will be available for generations to come, we must conserve this vital resource! The more we conserve water, the less water treatment plants need to process it! Less water means less electricity needed to heat the water! Less water used means lower carbon emissions. Less water used means lower monthly bills!
If you are on municipal water, the municipal plant uses electricity to treat, store and transport the water. Using less water at home means the municipal plant uses less electricity and is another great reason to cut back on your water consumption. And it lowers your bill!
Our well water is pumped to a steel pressurized tank, filtered, and then pumped to our taps! If we use less water then we are saving electric energy in different ways! We have recently maintained our tank by ensuring it has enough air, so that the pump does not continue to cycle (a sure sign of low pressure is during water use, and the pump cycles more than normal). More cycles is more energy wasted. Through our research we are learning just how much wells can be affected by extreme weather events as well! To avoid well water contamination there are many tips to ensure you and your family are safe!
We are walking through our home room to room and beginning to evaluate the easy ways we can start to use less water. We have recently installed a shower timer to encourage everyone to take shorter showers and have decreased the temperature for the shower right at the source! The tap! Small easy changes that lower our consumption, our water heating, our wastewater, and our power bill!
Another easy way to decrease the amount of water used in your home is to install a faucet aerator which works by mixing air with the water and reducing the volume of water. How do you know if you need a new faucet aerator?
I have even begun to wash my towels in cold water with vinegar. Washing towels in hot water was a habit that was hard to let go but the towels are still coming out fresh and clean. Now if we can only figure out WHY the kids go through so much laundry, then we will be onto something!
I still hold my former home town in the small of my heart and find large bodies of water majestic, yet the magic of water lies in all of us.
Awareness and simple changes lead to less drops of water, yet more drops for all!
