Waterlines: Spring-Summer 2009

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Brake for Construction Crews

When driving through roadway work zones, please give our construction crews a break and a brake. Whether our crews are performing an emergency repair or installing a new water main, we encourage motorists to help make these situations safe. So please slow down when you see RWA employees at work on public roads. Here’s what you can do to help:

Be alert and proceed cautiously, especially when traffic backs up around work zones.
Maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you.
Pay attention to traffic signs, cones, directional arrows and, of course, police, in anticipation of what’s ahead.

Five Simple Ways to Save Water

Saving water is simple and smart.

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/toilet.

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 the 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 plants 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 of water per year.

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, antifreeze, gasoline, oil-based paint, brake and transmission fluids, bug sprays and pool chemicals. For more information, visit http://www.rwater.com/hazwaste/.

Look for Your Water Quality Report

In Greater New Haven, we use an average of 55 million gallons of water a day. How much is that? Imagine filling Yale Bowl with water. That’s how much water we provide to customers in a typical week. Where do we get so much water? What keeps it safe? Our water quality report answers these questions and more. Look for it to arrive in your mailbox soon. The report can also be found at our website: http://www.rwater.com/wq2008/.

Help Prevent Dog Bites

Nearly every weekday, RWA’s meter readers and field employees must deal with angry, frightened pets or unsecured animals. Dog attacks result in injuries to employees as well as lost productivity.

The RWA encourages dog and pet owners to practice these simple safety tips:

When a meter reader comes to your home, keep your dog or pets inside, away from the door.
Pets need attention. Those that have been tied up for long periods or have little social interaction tend to be more aggressive and may turn into biters.
Obedience training can be beneficial in teaching dogs proper behavior and helps owners control their animals in most situations.
Do not allow your dog to roam neighborhoods unsupervised.
Report any dogs running loose in your area to the local animal control department.
We appreciate customers taking the time to secure their animals so they do not pose a threat to our employees. This will ensure workers can complete their jobs quickly and safely.

Always Ask for ID

RWA employees wear company photo identification cards and are required to show this ID to you at your request. So play it safe; ask to see a company ID. Don’t let anyone into your home who can’t prove his or her identity or purpose. Another way the Authority seeks to prevent fraud is through its S.A.F.E. Code program. If you schedule work to be done at your home, the Authority customer service representative will give you a code associated with the work request. Besides checking for an RWA ID, you should ask the RWA employee to give you the code.