Do the chilly temperatures and snow have you longing for green grass and warm sunshine? With spring around the corner, it’s not too early to start thinking about water conservation and how you can help Citizens’ customers understand the environmental and financial impact of being water wise.
The factors that affect Citizens’ ability to supply drinking water are water supply availability, customer demand, and infrastructure treatment and delivery capacity. As demand for water increases, the need increases for additional water supply and additional capacity to treat and deliver water.
“By stressing the importance of water conservation, we can mitigate the need for costly capital expenditures,” said Dan Moran, Director Water Quality System Control and Planning.
Indianapolis is the largest city in the Midwest that is not situated on a major waterway, such as the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers or one of the Great Lakes. Although Central Indiana typically receives about 40 inches of rain per year, most of that flows downstream immediately since there are not large bodies of water to hold a lot of excess rainfall.
Citizens’ “Be WaterWise” campaign is an effort to make customers aware of their water use and recognize that water is a valuable resource. Customers are asked to follow a few tips, especially when it comes to lawn irrigation, to reduce demand.
Citizens also reminds customers that water resources can be stressed during drought conditions, when it’s especially important to use water wisely to ensure the utility can meet all customer needs.
“During dry summer periods, daily water use can be twice as high as in the winter,” Moran said. “Most of this additional water being used – which has been treated to drinking water standards – is going on lawns. If customers follow water-wise irrigation practices, this can help keep rates from rising by delaying the need to tap new water supplies and build new treatment infrastructure.”
Suggestions include watering lawns during the early morning or late evening hours to minimize evaporation and limiting lawn watering to two days per week. If you have an automatic irrigation system, have it inspected at the first of the year and mid-season, promptly repair broken sprinkler heads and leaks, and avoid runoff by only applying the amount of water that can be absorbed. And don’t forget about water quality: automatic irrigation systems are required to have backflow preventers that must be tested every year by a certified backflow device tester.
More ways to conserve water can be found on the Citizens Energy Group website.
Save the Dates
Citizens Energy Group will participate in a few events during the month of April to raise awareness about our Commitment to Sustainability. Stay tuned for information on how to sign up to volunteer for these events.
- White River Cleanup | Saturday, April 13: Plan to join Friends of the White River to remove trash from the banks of the river downtown.
- Earth Day Indiana Festival | Saturday, April 20: This annual event, held at Historic Military Park at White River State Park, features local food vendors, kids’ activities, live music, and a 5K run/walk along the White River.
- Earth Day Community Celebration | Sunday, April 28: The 8th annual celebration features numerous hands-on, environmentally friendly activities at the Jewish Community Center.
Films about White River Making a Splash
Hoosier filmmakers have been exploring the White River and the lives it touches through a project sponsored by Indiana Humanities. The mission of this statewide nonprofit is to connect people, open minds, and enrich lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read, and talk. The goal of the three short films is to encourage new appreciation of the White River and spark meaningful conversations about its future. You can learn more about the project on the Indiana Humanities website. Watch for more details about an upcoming opportunity to view the films!
