Waterworks Blog
Beware of the blob!
May 12, 2016According to the Ohio EPA, a toxic blob of PCB-laced sediment in Lake Erie is creeping closer and closer to a drinking water supply that’s used by 11 million people. Where’s Steve McQueen when you need him? While this blob may not be from outer space, its origins are just as creepy: It’s leftover sludge…
Let wildlife off the hook — clean up your trash this fishing season
April 14, 2016Trout season opens statewide on Saturday, and thousands of anglers will descend on the waterways of the Lehigh Valley to try their luck and test their skill. Yet fishing season also brings with it an increase in pollution in and around our lakes, rivers and streams. Anglers often leave behind discarded fishing line, bait tins, bottles…
It’s time to get that garden started
April 6, 2016It doesn’t feel like it, but it’s spring, and that means it’s time to start your vegetable garden. Start with the wrong veggies, though, and you’ll end up with … nothing but frost-wilted plants ready for the compost heap. The folks over at Rodale have some handy tips here and here to get you growing despite winter…
Fertilize lawns, gardens responsibly to keep your water supply clean
March 30, 2016Spring has sprung, which means many of us are itching to get outside and start working on helping Mother Nature turn things green again. One springtime ritual, however, regularly leads to green, polluted waterways: over-fertilization of lawns and gardens. As the Penn State Extension office points out, “Lawn fertilizer contains the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus,…
Drought-busting lessons from the Land Down Under
March 1, 2016Spring is coming, which means summer is also around the corner. And with summer comes worries about drought. We were lucky last year, but western states didn’t fare as well. Still, things could be much worse. California’s drought, for instance, is serious, but it’s nothing compared to Southern Australia’s “Millennium Drought,” which lasted 13 years….
Freeze warning! Insulate those pipes and water meters!
February 11, 2016The weather outside is about to get VERY frightful this weekend. Record lows in some places will be in the low teens; in others, in the single digits and even into the negatives. Before the big chill hits, check your house to make sure your water meter and any water lines that are in unheated…
Some relief for Flint residents
February 7, 2016There’s some good news out of Flint, Mich.: members of a plumbers and pipefitters union have been installing new faucets and state-provided water filters, for free, in homes affected by the city’s water crisis. The new faucets were needed in some homes because the existing fixtures were too old to accommodate the filters. The filters…
Flint, Mich. water disaster highlights nation’s infrastructure problems
January 22, 2016If you’ve been following the news, you know that Flint, Mich., is in the middle of a water crisis. It’s a disturbing event that really drives home the importance of fresh, clean, drinkable water. It’s something we take for granted — until we don’t have it. One troubling aspect of this disaster is that it may have…
Freeze alert! Protect those pipes!
January 8, 2016After we practically spent the holidays in our shorts, temperatures that were much-more winterlike came roaring in — and some unprepared water customers found out the hard way what happens when pipes aren’t protected. Remember, if your pipes or water meter are in an uninsulated or unheated area, you should take steps to protect them….
Out with the old, in with the new year!
December 28, 2015What’s a new year without resolutions? As 2015 draws to a close, we’ve come up with a few simple ones that just about anyone can keep and — no surprise — they all have to do with water. You don’t have to keep all of them to make an impact – just one or two…