The state famous for miles of sparkling blue coastline and sprawling wetlands may not always possess these resources in such abundance.
“With all of this water, many people may not realize there is a need to conserve,” says the St. John’s water management district website.
As the Everglades are rapidly depleting and global warming becomes more of a pressing issue, Florida faces many water-related decisions in its near future. Many believe that we are using our water at an unsustainable rate, causing environmentalists to fret and politicians to pass new restrictions on water usage.
Science teacher Jonathan Gray knows that there is more of an urgency to conserve our water now than ever before. “We are taking out water from the Florida aquifer faster than we can recharge it,” he warned.
There are still ways to do our part to conserve Florida’s water. Although the changes may seem small, you can save thousands of gallons a year following these simple tips.
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1. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shampoo. You’ve probably heard this advice a hundred times, but simply shutting off the tap for a minute can save up to seven gallons of water.
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2. Buy a more efficient shower head. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that homes in the United States use more than 1.2 trillion gallons of water a year. Buying a water-efficient shower head, which usually cost under $15, can cut in half the amount of water you use showering.
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3. Fix your leaky faucet. It’s more than just annoying—your leaky faucet can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water a year. Turn off a running faucet when you see one. If each faucet on campus leaked just one drop a second for a year, it would waste almost 100,000 gallons of water. You can also check your water pipes and irrigation valves monthly to prevent this.
