College Bowl Season is wrapping up and the Super Bowl is on the horizon. As you prepare your home for game-day parties and other events in the coming year, you might want to think about another bowl: the toilet bowl.
Many homeowners do not know when their toilet is not working properly - but toilet troubles add up, affecting both the environment and your water bill. With toilets using more water than any other appliance in the home - nearly 27% of indoor water use - tackling toilet troubles is the first step to conserve water and save money. Lucky for you, finding and fixing leaks can be easy and inexpensive!
Learn how.
Member Spotlight: Milwaukie and Gresham's Emergency Water Treatment Trailers
The Cities of Milwaukie and Gresham are starting 2018 better prepared to serve water to customers in the event of an emergency with brand new mobile water treatment systems. The systems pump and treat water out of self-contained and -powered trailers. They can be pulled to almost any location with road and water access, and begin distributing safe drinking water in less than 30 minutes after being set up. Learn more here.
Working with neighbors to build resilience
Last year seemed to have more than its fair share of natural and man-made disasters. But, if you looked past the headlines you may have noticed stories of neighbors - people and organizations - working together to help their communities rebuild and resume some sense of normalcy.
After a disaster, some of this work is done in the moment. But, much if it is the result of
citizens and others working on preparedness efforts long before a flood, fire, or hazardous spill occurs. These efforts play a crucial role in a region's ability to bounce back after a disaster, and it is why local water providers work with other regional agencies, like the
Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO), which includes
local governments, businesses, and non-profits, to identify what projects are a priority and how to accomplish them. Last year, the RDPO helped secure funding for the mobile water treatment systems (MWTS) mentioned in the previous story. This year, it is helping to secure federal funding for a
debris-removing grapple truck and another MWTS for the City of St. Helens.
Interested in teaming up with your neighbors to make a preparedness plan of your own?
Here's how.
Tips to help kids be water smart this year
You don't need to be an adult to know that
saving water is a good thing to do.
In fact, there are many things that kids of all ages can do to use water wisely.
Here are a couple tips to get you started:
Use the water from your fish tank or pet's water bowl to water your plants.
Reduce your shower time by one minute a day, and it will add up. In fact, if you shower every day you could save about 75 gallons of water per month by cutting just one minute off your showering time.
