BRADENTON -- The Southwest Florida Water Management District designated April as Water Conservation Month, urging folks to stop washing their future water down the storm drain.
The City of Bradenton Beach’s program director Lisa Marie Phillips said that the first thing people need to know and understand is that water is scarce in Florida.
The second item they should know is that people living on Anna Maria Island do not have access to reclaimed water sources. There’s no current system for pumping it over to the islands, due to high costs.
”All of the water used outside of the home is potable drinking water,“ she said.
This means when people wash their car, wash their walls or pavements, and water their plants, they are using precious potable drinking water.
Now, imagine those people who still wash their car in their driveway, instead of in their yard. That’s now drinking water going into the streets and straight down the storm drain.
”Water is one of our most sacred resources,“ Phillips added. ”Guess what - we are not the only area in Manatee County without reclaimed water sources.“
What Phillips has to share with people is not just for islanders. It is a message that anyone living in Florida should absorb and put to action.
”People are going to be a little surprised when one day they go to turn on their water spouts and nothing comes out,“ she said.
In March, the Manasota Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Manatee County IFAS hosted a day devoted to informing people how to do a better job with their water use. The event ”Using Every Little Drop“ brought out thousands to the island.
For $15 people took a water conservation class and received a 55-gallon rain barrel, an A/C condensate drip hose and a garden hose repair kit.
Phillips said the whole day went very, very well.
”The water conservation event was fully attended and people really liked the info they received,“ she said.
Rain barrels
She said they encouraged people to harvest rain water via a 55-gallon rain barrel.
”There are a lot of reasons for capturing rain water,“ Phillips said. ”It reduces erosion, and we can then reduce the amount of chemicals that run off.“
Also, catching rain water has been around forever. Even our grandparents had rain barrels to wash their hair, car and yard.
”A 2,000-square-foot roof can collect about 1,000 gallons of water during a one-inch rainfall,“ she said. ”That’s a lot of water.“
There’s even a hose that connects to the barrel to water lawns, cars, wash garden tools and house or yard supplies.
Phillips really recommends the Manatee County Extension Office for rain barrels and classes. But folks could have saved a buck or two by coming to the event and getting all water conservation materials for $15.
”Here on the island we want to be ÔRain Barrel U.S.A,’“ she added.
Phillips said that getting a rain barrel and using a rain barrel is cheap, quick and simple to use. Maybe someday, she said, it will be mandatory.
A/C condensate drip hose
She said they also gave away A/C condensate drip hoses to capture all that water produced from A/C units.
”I get about five gallons of water from my window unit a day,“ she said. ”A larger unit could yield up to 10 gallons of drip water a day.“
It’s a lot of water to not capture and a PVC pipe takes the water condensate out of the house from the A/C unit and can also be used for outside water uses.
”Besides, letting your water drip out onto your home’s foundation can cause a number of issues with wooden homes and also insects,“ she said. ”Instead use that PVC line and coil it into your garden patch to water.“
She said that most people do not realize that 2/3 of water used is outside the home.
Garden hose repair kits
Phillips added that people, also, have no idea how much water is dripping out of their leaking garden hose.
”We also gave people garden hose repair kits at the event,“ she said. ”So many people have a little hole that leaks, and leaks, and leaks. It becomes a lot of wasted water.
Did you know that you could water your garden and yard with a drip hose by making it into an irrigation hose through a rain barrel system?
Home Owner Associations in Florida can no longer prevent people from having a rain barrel.
”It is against the law,“ Phillips said.
Phillips repeated that she really doesn’t think that people want to get to the point where their water has to be delivered each day.
”People are so conditioned to turning on the tap,“ she added. ”I just don’t know what they are going to do when that water doesn’t come out.“
Lisa Marie Phillips is delighted to guide and assist anyone with questions about water conservation and supplies. Contact her by calling (941) 778-4619.
Erica Newport is a daily reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers art, culture and community. If you have a story that might interest Erica, please e-mail her using erica.newport@thebradentontimes.com address. She also takes your questions related to our weekly theme days and provides advice and opinions for our readers.
Please use this e-mail address for Ask Erica: ask.erica@thebradentontimes.com.
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