ROSLYN WATER DISTRICT: WATER CONSERVATION
We cannot take our water for granted. Water conservation measures don’t only reduce your overall water usage, but they also make sure you are using water in the most efficient manner.
With irrigation systems serving as the largest consumer of water around the home, we must pay special attention to ensure these systems are operating as efficiently as possible while adhering to all local guidelines.
This page is dedicated to serving as a resource for our residents on the simple ways they can reduce their overall water consumption.
Smart Irrigation Controller Required on All Automatic Irrigation Systems by January 1, 2025
Smart irrigation controllers have proven to be the single most effective tool in reducing water consumption from irrigation systems. Their web-based technology automatically adjusts sprinkler times to coincide with local weather reports that avoid irrigating before or after a rainstorm. With water savings for those who make the switch being significant, these units could pay for themselves within the first year of installation.
Learn more about smart controllers and they types of units available: https://www.epa.gov/watersense/irrigation-controllers
Summertime Irrigation Drastically Increases Roslyn Water District Pumpage
Summer irrigation dramatically impacts the volume of water the District must provide each day. During the summer months the District’s water consumption more than triples. This has become more dramatic as more and more residents install Automatic Irrigation Systems.
Roslyn Water District initiates “Save 2 Minutes”
Water Conservation Program
Repositionable stickers for your irrigation control panel are available from the RWD business office.
The Roslyn Water District “Save 2” program is designed to save residents an average of 10% on their annual irrigation water usage. This level of conservation can be achieved with one simple change: cutting back your irrigation timer by two minutes per each zone. Irrigation specialists have indicated that this 2 minute reduction should not impact residents’ lawns or gardens, especially based on the average duration of irrigation per zone is 20 minutes. Want to save 20%? Cut back each zone by four minutes to achieve an even greater savings!
“Automatic irrigation accounts for more than half the total water usage in the District,” said Michael J. Kosinski, chairman of the Roslyn Water District. “Implementing this program throughout the District has gone a long way towards the goal of ensuring the District is able to equitably distribute an adequate supply of quality water for our residents.”
Ways to Help Conserve
Follow Nassau County Watering Rules & Voluntary Irrigation Schedule
Watering Rules
If you have an EVEN number address, EVEN CALENDAR DATES are your watering days.
If you have an ODD number address, ODD CALENDAR DATES are your watering days.
Homes with NO NUMBERS follow EVEN NUMBERED REGULATIONS.
No Watering Between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM
The Roslyn Water District Suggests:
No Watering Between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM
Watering: Two Hours Maximum
Have Your Irrigation Contractor Set Automatic Sprinklers to Meet Above Water Restrictions
A significant percentage of our residents were irrigating their lawns and gardens between 4:00 and 6:00 am. This commonly adopted schedule had a significant impact on the stored water capacity just as our commuters, school children and others are beginning their daily routines.
Each day, the District brought all three storage tanks up to anticipated usage levels with a total capacity of approximately 6 million gallons. During the summer months, the water demands in the District doubles, reaching 7, 8 or even 9 millions gallons per day. You can quickly see the importance of adopting and adhering to the District’s recommended guidelines for irrigating to spread demand over a greater portion of the day.
The Roslyn Water District asks those with automatic irrigation systems to be certain to instruct your irrigation system contractor to schedule your timing to the watering schedules above.
Roslyn Water District Recommends Water-Efficient Home Plumbing Products to Cut Water Costs
Nobody likes a high water bill. So the Roslyn Water District reminds customers that other than closely monitoring the amount of water you use, the best way to save money is to use water-efficient home plumbing products, including aerated shower heads, energy-efficient clothes washers, and 1.6 gallon per-flush toilets. By using these products in the home residents will lower water costs. According to a report issued by the American Water Works Association, the use of water-efficient plumbing across the nation would decrease the amount of water used by 3.5 billion gallons per day.
"It's amazing how much water we can save by using the proper plumbing fixtures," stated Superintendent Richard Passariello. "If any of our residents are concerned about high water bills, they may want to look into the plumbing mechanisms they currently use in their homes. We welcome phone calls from residents interested in learning more about saving money and water by using more efficient plumbing equipment."
The report released by AWWA also projects that switching to water-efficient appliances will reduce water use by 3.5 billion gallons per day nationally, resulting in smaller operating and maintenance costs at local water utilities. When you combine the water reduction with energy savings from conservation, communities could save a significant amount of money.
Additional Tips to Conserver Water
INDOORS
Take shorter showers.
Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Wash only full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher.
Fix faucet leaks.
OUTDOORS
Water your lawn only when it needs it.
A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, fetch the sprinkler.Deep-soak your lawn. When you do water, do it long enough for the moisture to soak down to the roots where it will do the most good. A light sprinkling can evaporate quickly and tends to encourage shallow root systems.
Don’t water the driveway or street. Position your sprinklers so water lands on the lawn or garden, not paved areas. Also avoid watering on windy days.
Plant drought-resistant trees and plants. Many beautiful trees and plants thrive with far less watering than other species.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Mulch will slow evaporation of moisture and discourage weed growth, too.
*Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks.
Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets, and couplings. Leaks outside the house may not seem as bad since they’re not as visible. But they can be just as wasteful as leaks inside. Check frequently and keep them drip-free.
Nature is Our Most Formidable Recycler
With water surrounding us on Long Island and Nassau County it is sometimes difficult to remember our need to conserve and protect this precious resource.
Long Island Sound to the North and the Atlantic to the South provide many business and recreational benefits; however, none of that water is currently available for drinking or household usage.
We get our water from deep underground wells that reach into three huge 'reservoirs' called "Aquifers" - The Upper Glacial, (upper), The Magothy, and Lloyd (deepest).
Aquifers are recharged from local streams, marshes, ponds and lakes on Long Island. These local sources, of course, are extremely dependent on rainfall and on our ability to protect them from contamination and pollutants. Since we depend on groundwater for our public water supply, it is crucial that we all work to properly manage our resources to ensure an adequate and continuous supply of high quality water.
Our aquifer system can be thought of as an enormous groundwater reservoir, or tank, containing a vast but finite amount of freshwater. Precipitation adds water (called recharge) to the tank. Nassau County has numerous recharge basins to collect stream water to assist this process. Water discharges from the tank by three means: consumptive use, streamflow, and underflow. ("Consumptive use" is the term for the water that is pumped out and not returned. "Streamflow" is the water that flows above ground and also discharges to the surrounding bays and Long Island Sound, and an "underflow" which is water that leaves the system underground and discharges into the surrounding bays and Long Island Sound.)
Based on consumption rates and the current average rainfall of 44 inches per year, experts confirm we are in balance with nature. Clearly, our goals are to protect the purity of our Aquifers and to conserve this balance of water used with that finite amount available.
Currently, we are utilizing almost 3/4 of the water available, and with the rapid residential and business expansion on Long Island we need to be increasingly vigilant in our use and allocation of water resources. This includes actively protecting valuable open land, wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive areas.