Regional Water Launches 'Save A Drop' campaign

With summer fast approaching, the St. John's Regional Water Services Committee is launching its 'Save A Drop' campaign to encourage residents in the region to conserve water.

"We all have a role to play in ensuring that we are managing our most precious natural resource - water," says City of St. John's Deputy Mayor Shannie Duff, Co-chair of the Regional Water Services Committee. "Our 'Save A Drop' campaign is focused on educating residents about the importance of water conservation and how they can help ensure we have an adequate water supply, particularly through the summer months when usage increases. Water is not an unlimited resource, and undergoes a rigorous and costly treatment process before it is delivered to your taps. Conserving water, one drop at a time, will ensure that our environment - and our wallets - are protected."

The 'Save A Drop' campaign begins today and includes an integrated media campaign, with print and online ads, as well as a new website filled with tips and information on how residents can conserve water - and why. The campaign focuses on the three areas where we can all save water - at home, at work and in the yard.

"There are so many ways you can help conserve water," says Mount Pearl Councillor John Walsh, Co-chair of the Regional Water Services Committee. "We are extremely pleased with our new campaign and how it will help educate our residents on what they can do to help and why it is so important to start thinking about our use of water like we do any other energy or utility resource. The cost to treat water is increasing and it is amazing how much water you can save by just implementing a few of our helpful tips in your home or business."

Some of the tips to save water include:

• On the Avalon Peninsula, a mature tree does not require watering at any time of the year.
• Using a running hose to wash your vehicle can waste about 400 litres of water. Using a bucket with a sponge, plus a trigger nozzle on the hose, will wave you about 300 of those litres.
• Take shorter showers and replace your showerhead with a low-flow version, which can cut water use in half.
• Fix leaks and drips - a toilet that continues to run after flushing, if the leak is large enough, can waste up to 200,000 litres of water in a single year.

The St. John's Regional Water Service provides water to St. John's, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South, Paradise and Portugal Cove-St. Phillips. Visit saveadrop.ca, to find out more about water in our region - where it comes from, how it gets to you and what you can do to conserve it.

For further information:
Jennifer Mills
Communications Officer
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 570-2037
Cell: (709) 690-7586
E-mail: jmills@stjohns.ca

Shannie Duff
Co-Chair, Regional Water Services Committee
Deputy-Mayor
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8583
E-mail: sduff@stjohns.ca

John Walsh
Co-Chair, Regional Water Services Committee
Councillor
City of Mount Pearl
Phone: (709) 748-1030
E-mail: jwalsh@mountpearl.ca