Water shortage not a dry subject

Our Opinion

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The rain the area got last week was not enough to make up for the deficit. According to state hydrologists, Maryland has received half of its normal rainfall this year. And things could get worse in Southern Maryland, where we haven't recovered from the drought in 2002.

Some recent news on the local front shows that our elected officials are turning their attention to water issues. The county just a few weeks ago began purchasing water from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Officials are hoping that will provide some relief on the aquifers far below the county that supply our water. That shouldn't mean they should lighten up on the push to teach citizens the benefits of conservation.

The town of La Plata has seen some great results after it began a series of water conservation measures. In 2007, the average utility customer used 24,900 gallons of water per quarter. In comparison, in 2008 the average customer dropped to 23,000 gallons of water per quarter — a 7.5 percent decrease.

La Plata began a conservation awareness campaign last year. The council introduced a new water billing system. Those who use more water are charged a higher rate than those who use less. The town also invested in some new technology to monitor its water use and has installed water-saving urinals and toilets in the town hall as well as a water-capturing system that will collect rainwater for watering the lawn at town hall. The town also has implemented a change in the way a unit at the waste water treatment plant operates that saves 65,000 gallons of water a day. These are changes that have made a huge difference.

In addition to purchasing water from WSSC, the county is looking into other alternative water sources, such as the potential for surface water treatment systems, water conservation programs including recycling treated effluent and locating wells at points in the aquifers outside the development district and then pumping water back through new lines.

It seems like those in charge are finally beginning to pay attention to the warnings about an impending water crisis for the county. With the threat of a potential drought there's no need to wait until summer to sound an alarm.

Ward 1 Councilman Scot Lucas put it very succinctly last week: "Groundwater is not a resource that is going to last forever." Efforts to teach residents the importance of conserving water should be ongoing and other water-saving programs should be kept in place whether or not we see those April showers.