With a husband that drills wells and installs water filtration for homes, I often ponder the freedom and relief that must come from not having a water bill each month. We’ve all experienced the constant errors of water meter readers and paid more than we needed to for water each month. I think about all the things they add to the water in the county, all the germs that collect in the pipes on the way to my home, and it makes me envy those with a well in their own homes, getting water straight from the aquifer. I also think about how lucky they are to use as much water as they’d like without getting charged extra.
But then, the science teacher in me jumps in and screams “conserve!!!” After a few times of this occurring I thought, “why would we need to conserve when we have water straight from the source? It’s not like it’s going to run out or anything.” And boy was I wrong! According to the Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, “Florida’s current fresh water supply is projected to be unable to meet all of the growing needs of Floridians in the future.” That sentence left me dumbfounded. We truly take our resources for granted.
I began thinking of how many people are moving to Florida, how many new neighborhoods are being built, and how much is going to be needed to keep up with this influx. According to World Population Review, just the city of Orlando has seen an increase in population of about 21.91% since the last census! In Orlando Weekly, an article from December 22, 2021 is titled “Florida saw second-highest population growth in nation over last year”. The United States Environmental Protection Agency states that “the average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home.” When you take the growth and multiply it by the need, the number is enormous. It really makes me wonder how our aquifers can hold so much to begin with!
I brought up this topic to my husband and he told me about the struggles he faces when he goes out to check on “broken wells”. Oftentimes, the well itself is fine but the water table has dropped because the aquifers are being depleted and they need to drill a new well and go even deeper to be able to reach the water.
It was at this moment that I was grateful for the science teacher in me screaming out “Conserve!” Because if we all do our part to use only the water we need, we will be able to extend the usage of that water throughout generations. Otherwise, sooner rather than later, we may be faced with the question on how we will survive with rationed water. After seeing how Floridians can get with water bottles during hurricane season, that is not something I’d like to experience. So this is your cue to remember to shut off the faucet when brushing your teeth, to turn on your sprinklers at night instead of during the day, to reduce shower time, and try to reuse water where ever you can.
What are some ways your family conserves water?
