Waterlines: Spring 2008

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Educating Future Leaders

Unique Regional Water Authority programs provide education, hands-on experience and a network of mentors for the next generation of environmentalists.

Whitney Water Center our innovative education center, provides hands-on water science programs to about 10,000 school children annually from the 20 towns in our region. Lessons learned at the Center meet today’s science needs.

Main Several years ago, we expanded our water education programs to give others the chance to visit some of the more than 25,000 acres of land we own. We developed Project WATER, a mobile education curriculum, complete with its own bus. Project WATER brings the Authority’s lands to people who may not have access or opportunity to walk along the shore of a reservoir.

The Center along with our mobile curriculum offers lasting educational payoffs. Life long lessons are instilled in the participants about protecting water sources from pollution. They leave knowing that they are active contributors toward maintaining a healthy environment.

For more information on Regional Water Authority education programs, please call 203-777-1142. You can also download a copy of the brochure at www.rwater.com/education.

Taking Service Seriously

Tallying the results from our customer satisfaction surveys shows that you are pleased with the service you get from our customer service, field service representatives and construction crews. Each one was ranked above 83%.

Our company reputation is built on strong, positive customer relationships. They are the center of our success. Service is what counts. The survey results are gratifying to each and every RWA employee. Capturing your feedback on a monthly basis through the surveys helps us make improvements to our service. We are pleased that our efforts to improve haven’t gone unnoticed by the people who matter most. In fact, we are one of the few utilities who track customer transactions on a monthly basis. Most utilities poll their customers annually via the telephone.

The Center for Research and Public Policy, an independent firm, tabulates our monthly surveys of customers who had a direct customer service experience with us. The survey measures various categories including how well RWA meets customers’ expectations, and rates customers’ interactions with office, field service and construction personnel.
When it comes to keeping the water flowing, we realize that the action can get intense and the weather doesn’t always cooperate, we work through it all with one goal—satisfying you, our customer.

Five Simple Ways to Save Water

1. Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape.

Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day. Early morning is best.
Water plants according to their water needs; you’ll have healthier plants and a lower water bill.
Set sprinklers to water lawns and gardens only—not the street or sidewalk.
Use soaker hose or trickle irrigation systems for trees and shrubs.

2. Use your appliances wisely.

Wash only full loads or set small loads to the appropriate water level.
Scrape rather than rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
Replace old clothes washers with ENERGY STAR qualified appliances that use less water.

3. Don’t flush your money down the drain/toilets.

A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day. Check your toilet for leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 15 minutes. Look for worn out, corroded or bent parts in the leaky toilet. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain the tank.)

4. Conserve around the house.

Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until cool. A running faucet can use about two gallons of water per minute.
Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth or shave.
Don’t pour water down the drain if you can use it for other projects like watering a plant or cleaning.

5. Stop those leaks!

Verify that your home is leak-free. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.
Repair dripping faucets and showers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year. .

Your Water Service—What’s Ours? What’s Yours?

To clarify who owns which pipes, valves and equipment that supply water, here’s a diagram of who is responsible.

New Payment Center: Ansonia Valley Area

Inspired Style at 100 Division Street in Ansonia accepts water bill payments from customers in our Ansonia Valley Area. You may pay your bill in person on Tuesdays through Saturdays between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is another payment center in addition to Seccombe’s located at 171 Main Street in Ansonia.