Water Efficiency | Roswell, GA

Overview

Water is a precious resource necessary for ensuring a growing, prosperous city. The City of Roswell prides itself on being a leader in local conservation initiates and as such, was recently named a WaterFirst Community by the Department of Community Affairs. The City is also an EPA WaterSense partner. These designations are commitments by the City to protect our valuable water resources. Our multi-faceted, ongoing water conservation plan is aimed at both educating the citizens of Roswell about the need for water efficiency now and in the future as well as reducing the City’s overall water consumption through conservation programs and initiatives aimed at residential and business customers. For information on water conservation, contact Nikki Belmonte.

Additional Resources

January: Where does the City of Roswell’s Water Come From?

The City of Roswell operates a Water Treatment plant that serves approximately 5,600 customers through 89 miles of distribution waterline mains.

The City’s water comes from two sources. The primary source is from the Roswell Water Treatment Plant, which is capable of producing 3.3 million gallons of water per day, which treats water withdrawn from the Big Creek Watershed. Roswell has a “blended water source,” as water is also sourced through the Chattahoochee River. The City of Roswell’s Water Utility Division is proud to serve the citizens of Roswell, providing the best possible drinking water quality. Roswell’s tap water is perfectly safe to drink, with the water output following EPA regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided to the public.

Roswell conducts a Consumer Confidence Report on Water Quality semi-annually that discloses the levels of detected contaminants. The most current Consumer Confidence Report is available at www.roswellgov.com/CCR.

February: Meet Your Better Bathroom—Style With Savings

Remodeling your bathroom? You can have your dream bathroom with the help of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program. WaterSense labels thousands of products in a variety of price points, styles and finishes—from sleek to chic—to create your bathroom oasis. Not only do WaterSense labeled products look amazing, they are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models.

And since you won’t have as much water to heat while showering or shaving, WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures will save your family energy, and money on utility bills, too. A full bathroom remodel can save 10,000 gallons of water, enough energy to power your refrigerator for 7 months, and up to $150 in utility bills every year!

Both the Roswell and Fulton County water utilities offer a toilet rebate to help make your dream bathroom a reality without breaking the bank.

Learn more about local toilet rebates:

Not in the market for a full-blown bathroom remodel? Check out these videos for easy, inexpensive “bath hacks” you can do to improve your bathroom’s performance. Swap out your showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model, install a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator, or replace your leaky toilet flapper for big water savings.

Learn more about ways to save water in your bathroom by visiting the WaterSense website at www.epa.gov/watersense/better-bathroom.

March: Learn How to Check for Leaks in Your Home!

Fix a Leak Week is March 14-20, 2022. Find out more about fixing leaks around your house at EPA WaterSense.

Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets and other household leaks? That’s close to how much some households use in two months! So, kick your DIY home improvement into high gear and fix those leaks around your home.

• Check for leaks: Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, sprinklers, and other fixtures inside and outside your home. Check toilets for silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank and waiting 15 minutes to see if color appears in the bowl before you flush. If you see color, you’ve got a leak.
• Twist on a new aerator: To use less water without a noticeable difference in flow, install a WaterSense-labeled aerator on your bathroom faucet. Make sure to tighten hose and pipe connections, too.
• Replace the fixture if necessary: If you are replacing fixtures in the bathroom or kitchen, be sure to purchase WaterSense-labeled models, which use 20% less water and perform as well as or better than standard models. Even a toilet flapper needs to be replaced every few years to help prevent silent toilet leaks.

April: Spruce Up Your Sprinkler System and Save

The onset of warmer weather can lead to an increase in landscape irrigation. Before you ramp up your watering, be sure to spruce up your irrigation system. System maintenance can help save you a lot of money and water! Cracks in pipes can lead to costly leaks, and broken sprinkler heads can waste water and money. You could be losing up to 25,000 gallons of water and $280 over a six-month irrigation season!
Now is the perfect time to spruce up your irrigation system. To get started, follow these four simple steps—inspect, connect, direct, and select:

1. Inspect: Check your system for clogged, broken, or missing sprinkler heads. Better yet, go with a pro—find an irrigation professional certified by a WaterSense labeled irrigation program to do the work for you.
2. Connect: Examine points where the sprinkler heads connect to pipes/hoses. If water is pooling in your landscape or you have large soggy areas, you could have a leak in your system. A leak as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen (1/32 of an inch) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.
3. Direct: Are you watering the driveway, house, or sidewalk instead of your yard? Redirect sprinklers to apply water only to the landscape.
4. Select: An improperly scheduled irrigation controller can waste a lot of water and money. Update your system’s schedule with the seasons, or select a WaterSense labeled controller to take the guesswork out of scheduling.

Don’t forget to add “sprinkler spruce-up” to your spring cleaning list this year. Learn more about maintaining a water-smart yard by visiting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense website at www.epa.gov/watersense/outdoors.

May: A Better Yard Through Smart Planting

Make your green thumb even greener with a water-smart landscape. Choosing the right plants, supporting soil health, and proper maintenance are all keys to water-smart landscapes.

• Use regionally appropriate, low-water using and native plants.
  
  These plants require little water beyond normal rainfall and rarely require the addition of fertilizer and are more resistant to pests and diseases.
• Recognize site conditions and plant appropriately.
  
  Choose plants that will thrive in site conditions such as exposure to sun and wind or shade.
• Group plants according to their water needs.
  
  This will reduce water use and protects the plants from underwatering or overwatering.
• Place turfgrass strategically.
  
  Turfgrass requires more water than many plants in the landscape. To reduce outdoor water use, consider planting turfgrass only where it has a practical function. Use native grasses that withstand drought conditions.
• Minimize steep slopes to reduce the potential for erosion and runoff.
  
  Plant shrubs or native ground covers on slopes.

In the Southeast, make sure your landscape incorporates shrubs and trees matched to the site’s water conditions, reducing the need for supplemental irrigation. Use mulch around the garden plants to reduce evaporative water loss from the soil. For more tips to make your yard better this month, please visit Landscaping Tips from the EPA.

June: Do A Home Water Audit

Is your home as water efficient as it can be? October is Energy Action Month and the best time to do a home audit to determine ways to reduce water usage and save money at the same time. The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District offers a DIY household water assessment tool. Follow this link to find out more information about Water Audits from the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.

There are several ways to reduce water usage at home:

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth!
• Shower power! Keep showers to under five minutes.
• Fix that leak!
• Beat the heat while watering your outdoor landscaping.

If you have not done so already, take a minute to save in 2021 by clicking on the EPA WaterSense link: I’m Taking a Minute to Save in 2021! (epa.gov). This checklist will give you a monthly plan on ways to save money and use water wisely.

Every drop counts!

July: Learn About Lead and Copper in Water

The primary source of lead and copper in a drinking water system is from private plumbing systems including the service line from the meter and the piping inside homes (copper piping with solder containing lead or a lead-based service line).

To protect water consumers from lead and copper contamination that could occur from their home plumbing systems, public water systems are required to use “optimized corrosion control” techniques under the Lead and Copper Rule. These techniques include treating the drinking water to reduce its ability to carry lead and copper from the plumbing system to the faucet.

The City of Roswell tests locations with these at‐risk plumbing systems to ensure our corrosion control technique is effective.

There are a few best practices that can help to lessen chances of ingesting trace amounts of lead from drinking water.

1. Consume only cold water directly from the faucet. Hot tap water can increase the potential for lead and other metals to leach into drinking water from the home plumbing system. (Heating cold water does not release any lead.)
2. If the water has been sitting in the pipes in your home for longer than 6 hours allow the water to run a few minutes before consuming. Turn on the cold water tap and wait for the temperature to change.
3. Periodically clean out the aerators (screens on the faucet). These screens can trap sediment and debris over an extended period time. They easily twist off and can be cleaned or replaced.

August: World Water Week

August 22-26, 2022 is #World Water Week! Home is Where the Water Savings Are

Water efficiency is the smart use of our water resources through water-saving technologies and simple steps we can all take around the house. Using water efficiently will help ensure reliable water supplies today and for future generations. Best of all, everyone can play their part in preserving our water resources.

Here are some tips to get a head start on better habits:

• Whether washing your hands for 20 seconds or brushing your teeth for two minutes, you don’t have to keep the faucet running. Save 200 gallons of water in a month by turning off the tap while you scrub.
• Did you know it takes less water to run a full dishwasher than to wash dishes by hand in the sink? Save more water by scraping plates into the trash rather than rinsing before loading the dishwasher.
• Showers use less water than baths. Order a WaterSense labeled showerhead to replace your current model, and you’ll save water and energy without noticing a change in flow!

These are just a couple of tips to help you save water – and money – at home. Get more tips on saving water indoors and outdoors at the EPA WaterSense’s webpage.

September: Spruce up the Garden With Water-Smart Landscaping

Fall is a great time to install new landscaping. To make your yard water-smart, group plants together with similar watering needs to save water and promote plant health.

Plan for a water-smart landscape next year. Be picky about the plants you choose; local varieties can save water. For more information check out this guide from the EPA.

Go native! Once established, native and low water-using plants require little water beyond normal rainfall. If you’re designing a new landscape or just sprucing up your current landscape, be sure to consider the water needs of the plants you choose. For a regional landscaping tips go to The Watersense website.

October: Don’t Let Your Water Usage Haunt You!

Less than 1% of all the water used on earth is used by people. The rest is salt water or frozen so it cannot be used for drinking water, washing, or to water plants. As the population grows, more and more people are using up this limited resource so it is important that we use water wisely and not waste it.

WaterSense makes it easy to find and select water-efficient products for water use and performance. These products meet EPA’s specifications resulting in better performance, savings on water bills, and assurance that you are saving water for future generations.

November: Watch Out for Stormwater Runoff!

The Chattahoochee River is the main source of drinking water for millions of people and a recreational treasure for Roswell and Metro Atlanta. Roswell is committed to doing its part to protect the river, keeping the city a vibrant riverside community.

Every time it rains, all that water has to go somewhere, right? This “stormwater runoff” travels along the ground, roads, and yards before collecting in streams and storm drains. It may carry pollutants such as oil, metal, dirt, and bacteria that it picks up on the way. This is why it is important to clean up spills and debris, including dog waste everywhere, including your own yard!

The City of Roswell is an early adopter of green infrastructure in Metro Atlanta, leading the way to protect our local rivers and streams. Permeable pavers are considered green infrastructure that helps protect the river. For instance, located beside Canton Street is the East Alley. This street has permeable pavers that treat 190,000 gallons of stormwater runoff per year, which is equivalent to 2,400 bathtubs of water. The East Alley and other permeable paver projects improve water quality and minor flooding by treating and slowly releasing stormwater. They are a beautiful solution that enhances the historic area while helping to protect the Chattahoochee River.

Please do your part to help protect and help keep the Chattahoochee River safe and clean. Find out more at www.roswellgov.com/WatershedProtection.

December: Why is Conserving Water Important?

Water is extremely vital to our survival. Though it may seem we have endless amounts of water, the truth is that not much is available for human consumption and use. According to the EPA, less than one percent of water on Earth is available for human use! The rest is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage.

As the human population continues to grow, so does the demand for freshwater resources. In the U.S., it is estimated that the average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home. Roughly 70 percent of this use occurs indoors. Understanding how much water you use is beneficial so that you can take steps to save water and inevitably save money.

Less water going down the drain means more water available for wildlife survival as well as recreation in lakes, rivers, and streams. Using water more efficiently helps maintain supplies at safe levels, protecting human health and the environment.

So, what can you do?

1. Switch to water-efficient household appliances if you can
2. Take shorter showers
3. Use the dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand, and make sure it’s fully loaded
4. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving
5. Wash full loads of laundry
6. Fix any leaks promptly

For more helpful tips and information visit How We Use Water | US EPA.