ROLL OUT THE BARRELSBy HASANI GITTENS, NY Post
The city is thinking outside the box - or, rather, inside the barrel - over water demand this summer.
A pilot program by the Department of Environmental Protection will hand out 250 rain barrels this month to Queens residents to collect storm water from rooftops for lawn-watering use.
The DEP estimates that up to 40 percent of some households' summer water consumption goes to irrigation.
The barrels will be handed out in the lawn-heavy neighborhoods of Rosedale, St. Albans, New Hyde Park and Floral Park.
Those areas have been prone to heavy flooding, another target of the program since water used on lawns doesn't find its way to sewers that can't handle heavy storms.
Similar programs are in effect in European cities and other American cities - particularly in the Northwest - and have proven effective, the DEP said.
"Improved storm-water management is an important component of DEP's efforts . . . to help mitigate the city's storm-water runoff going into the sewer system," said DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd.
2 comments:
"The DEP estimates that up to 40 percent of some households' summer water consumption goes to irrigation. "
Interesting. I have a lawn sprinkler system. Since 95% of that water goes into my lawn and not the sewer system, why am I paying sewer charges for all that water?
Right-o "Ricky" old boy!
I've planted a more self sustaining ground cover on my hill instead of grass which was a losing battle each year.
Any watering that I do is minimal.
My leaders run out into my garden
where the rain water is distributed
onto the plantings.
Hey, NYC, put a meter on the 4" waste line that runs to the street and you'll find I use the sewer system sparingly.
(Unless you plan to charge me based on the weight of each individual bowel movement).
So why should I pay
the same sewer rental rate as my water hog neighbor does ?
I like the rain barrel idea and was thinking of buying a few.
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