Waterlines: Summer-Fall 2007

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A Safe Place for Your Waste

HazWaste Central is in operation, helping folks protect water quality by safely disposing of household hazardous waste. Located at our headquarters on Sargent Drive in New Haven, HazWaste Central is open from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturdays through the end of October.

Co-sponsored by the Authority and the South Central Connecticut Regional Council of Governments, HazWaste Central serves almost 6,000 households a year. Some of the household wastes that can be dropped off include aerosol cleaners and sprays, oven and drain cleaners, anti-freeze, gasoline, oil-based paint, brake and transmission fluids, bug sprays, and pool chemicals. For more information, visit www.rwater.com and click on HazWaste Central.

Got Your Water Quality Report?

Our Water Quality Report was in the mail this summer. Did you read yours?

The report includes a map of the region, a description of how we deliver water to your tap and a summary of water quality data for each of our water supply sources.

If you haven’t received a copy, please call us at 562-4020 and one of our customer service representatives will send you one, or you can find the report on our website at www.rwater.com.

WaterSense

The Regional Water Authority is a partner in the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program. The program’s mission is to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by promoting water efficiency and enchancing the market for water-efficient products, services and practices.

You might be surprised to learn that more than 50 percent of water used to irrigate lawns and gardens is wasted. Over the course of just one year, that’s like letting your garden hose run continuously for more than three days or wasting enough water to fill three backyard swimming pools.

Here are some WaterSense tips to help homeowners maintain a beautiful landscape without wasting water.

1. Water When Needed, As Needed It’s estimated that more than 50 percent of landscape water is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or over-watering. If you have an in-ground irrigation system, set your timer to water in the early morning when winds are calm and temperatures are cool. If you don’t have an automated system, remember to set your alarm. As you water, make sure to saturate the root zones and then let the soil dry. Watering too much and too frequently can result in shallow roots and disease.

2. Give Your Watering Methods a Tune-Up Whether you water with a conventional hose-fed sprinkler or an automatic system, make sure you position your sprinklers or sprinkler heads accordingly. Are you watering more pavement than lawn? Keep in mind that different areas of your yard have different water needs. With an automatic system, you may be able to schedule individual “zones.” To avoid unnecessary water loss, inspect your system monthly. Check for leaks, broken or clogged heads, or hire a professional to do a system check for you.

3. Do More With Less Consider using “micro irrigation” for watering plant and garden beds, as well as trees and shrubs. Micro irrigation includes drip, microspray jets, micro-spinklers, or bubbler-style watering systems. Drip irrigation systems use 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems by delivering a low-volume of water slowly. This minimizes evaporation, runoff, and overspray.

What portion of the service is the RWA’s responsibility?

We are responsible for the maintenance of the portion of the water service from the water main in the street to the curb valve in front on your home. If a problem develops in our part of the system, we will fix it. If a leak or break occurs between your house and the curb valve, then it is your responsibility to fix it. To clarify who owns what pipes, valves and equipment that supply water, here’s a diagram of who is responsible:

RWA Responsibility

Remote receptacle: A small box mounted on the exterior of your house. Allows us to get meter readings without entering the premise.

Water Mains: More than 1,500 miles of water mains that carry water to customers’ taps.

Service Connection: We maintain the part of the pipe that runs from the water main to your home. This is the section of pipe from the main to the curb valve.

Curb Valve: Located underground, this is the valve that controls flow of water to your home/building.

Homeowner Responsibility

Curb box and its cover*: Protects the curb valve. The cover should be tightly secured and flush with the ground.

Service line: Pipe that runs between the curb box and your home/building.

Cellar wall valve: Inside home/building, this valve turns the water on or off.

Meter Vault and Cover*: Protects the meter and piping. The cover should be tightly secured and flush with the ground.

Water meter: Records amount of water used inside the home/building. Although owned by RWA, you are responsible for damages caused by freezing, hot water, vandalism or other external sources.

*The Authority has the right to charge accounts to correct dangerous conditions related to curb boxes and/or meter vaults.

Your Water Meter

Your household has a water meter that measures the amount of water used in your home. We read meters on a regular schedule with a remote reading device that is mounted to the outside of your house. This technology allows us to obtain meter readings without the need for you to be at home. Keeping your meter accessible helps to ensure that we obtain accurate readings. This time of year, it’s a good idea to keep the area around your meter clear of weeds, flowers, bushes and debris. You can also help make the job safer for our meter readers—and help avoid estimated readings—by keeping your pets inside or restraining them away from the meter. Even the friendliest pooch can become an aggressive guard dog when a stranger is around.