CLINTON–Apparently, money is a good enough incentive to get people to reduce their water usage.
Last year, Connecticut Water launched the Water Drop Challenge, an initiative in which the utility company offered $30 to every household that reduced its water usage in 2016 by at least 10 percent compared to 2015. The credit will be on a 2017 water bill.
In 2015, 5,000 Connecticut Water customers signed up for the challenge. Each month, the participants get an email with tips on how to conserve water.
We are currently in a drought, so this initiative is more important that ever, Connecticut Water says.
“We continue to encourage customers to avoid unnecessary water use and to take steps to avoid wasting water. While our supplies, overall, are in good shape, this will reduce the demands on our water supplies and reduce stress on local water resources,” said Maureen Westbrook, vice president of customer and regulatory affairs at Connecticut Water.
Tips include implementing a low-flow toilet, which saves up to five gallons per flush, shorter showers and fixing leaky faucets, which can waste as much as six gallons per day.
In the first half of the year, more than 40 percent of participants are on track to meet the 10 percent reduction goal, and many more are close to it.
A typical family uses 60,000 gallons of water each year–or 170 per day, according to Connecticut Water.
So far this year, participants have helped save 9 million gallons of water, which is enough to fill 1,500 water tankers that parked end-to-end would cover 14 miles.
“Using water wisely and conserving a precious natural resource is always the right thing to do. What we didn’t know when we launched this program was the particular benefit this year as Connecticut is experiencing moderate drought conditions this summer and we are asking all of our customers to be more mindful of their water use,” said Westbrook.
