LI water scarcity calls for prudent use

In much of the United States, a designation of “severe drought” like the one recently announced for Long Island’s South Shore, or even the North Shore's designation of “moderate drought," would imply a water shortage.

In areas that depend on aboveground reservoirs and rivers for drinking, cleaning and agricultural H2O, severe droughts can mean dry taps. 

But on Long Island, where such water comes from a sole-source aquifer that’s been refilling underground for eons, clear skies won’t mean empty pipes anytime soon. 

Yet overuse can increase saltwater intrusion, which can spoil wells and create localized shortages of fresh, clean water. 

And, more critically now, the thirst of lawns and golf courses and crops that have seen hardly any rain could severely impact available water pressure during early-morning hours. Long Island has received less than half its usual rainfall this summer.

That could make it harder for firefighters to combat significant blazes. And the lack of pressure would be a particular problem if multiple fires blazed simultaneously.

At such a time, all eyes naturally turn to the legendary water hogs of the East End. 

According to Suffolk County Water Authority officials, about 70% of water use on Long Island occurs in summer. That means on average seven times as much water is used during the summer as during the rest of the year. The reason is irrigation, with prime time from 3 a.m. until 9 a.m.. And the biggest users can swallow up 100 times the 130,000-gallon-per-year average of homeowners.

The biggest guzzler is a residence owned by Ickenham Limited on Meadow Lane in Southampton, that used 16 million gallons last year. The second-biggest user, on the same road, is Joann Goldman, at 9 million gallons.  A third home on that street, Theodore Baum's, used 5 million gallons.

In Bridgehampton, Jonathan Tisch used 7 million gallons Ocean Road. So did Marc Leder in Sagaponack, on Sagg Main Street.  In East Hampton, Robert Taubman went through 4 million gallons on Two Hollow Road and in North Haven James Christmas soaked to the tune of three million gallons on Actors Colony Road.

It’s easy to look at those levels and think that it’s just the rich causing the trouble, but SCWA officials say all of us can be water wasters. We aren’t mindful enough about water usage when we shower, wash dishes and brush teeth, but the biggest problem is watering the lawn.

The daily watering many indulge in is bad for lawns. It keeps their roots at an inch or less rather than a healthier 4 or 5 inches. It brings fungal problems. And daily watering encourages ticks and mosquitoes.

The SCWA needs to do more to discourage water hogs. But we all must do more too. Because as damaging as a few homes using too many millions of gallons is, a million homes using too many thousands of gallons is the real problem.