Water, Water Everywhere But Not a Drop to Drink

Enjoy your low cost tap or well water? All you have to do is turn on your faucet and there it is. Ever wonder what you would do if you turned on your faucet and nothing came out? How would you flush your toilet or wash your clothes?

Where does Drinking Water come from?

Drinking Water comes from 2 major places here on Long Island:

Aquifers and wells. The depth of both are from just a few feet down ( Spring water like in Cold Spring Harbor) to the deepset in the south Shore at 2,000 feet. The local water authority pumps the "fresh" water up, cleans it up and delivers it to your home. Most homes on wells are untreated and some people get it tested  to make sure it is safe.

Basically how does the water get to the aquifers?

 Septic systems "recharge" the aquifers by the waste water leaching out of a cesspool or chamber system. This gets purified as he drains down into the ground.

     If you are hooked to a public sewer, that water NEVER makes it back into the aquifers. It gets "treated" at a sewer treatment plant miles away, then flushed out into the bays and oceans. Public sewers are not "friendly" to the aquifers.

     Storm water plays a part in recharging the aquifers if it can find soil to drain into.

     Every DROP that comes out of your faucets must be used with respect to conservation. This does not mean that you have to stop using water, just use it smart. Low flow shower heads can range from .5 GPM to 1.5 GPM ( GPM- Gallons per Minute). You would not even know the difference and you are saving water and money at the same time.

Faucets, either bathroom or kitchen, can be fitted with a water restricted aerator. Cheap and easy to install. (I suggest removing the old aerator and bring it to a plumbing supply house to get the correct aerator.

Toilets. This is where a problem can start.  Most home plumbing drain systems are designed for 4 or 5 GPF (Gallons Per Flush) Toilets.  If you do not know how your drain system was designed for, I would STAY AWAY from a Gravity Flush Toilet.  The newer "Flushmate Equipped" toilets use between 3/4 to 1.5 GPF!

     All of the above also has a side effect: Your onsite sanitary or septic has to "process" less, and it could extend the time between service to it.

     It does not take much to keep the water coming out of your faucets and save money at the same time. If you think gas and gold are expensive now, imagine what would happen if we ran out of water on Long Island. How much are you willing to spend on a gallon of water?