Water Supply
It’s time to face the nation’s water infrastructure needs
May 17, 2012Communities across the country are being confronted with a daunting challenge: replacing the aging, underground pipes that carry drinking water while also expanding service to meet the needs of a growing population. Making the task even more formidable is the price tag, which is predicted to be at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years. During…
What’s your water footprint?
February 9, 2012You’ve probably heard of a “carbon footprint,” but how about a “water footprint?” That’s what waterfootprint.org wants to know. The Netherlands-based conservation site has created a way to calculate not just how much water comes out of your tap, but how much water has been used to raise the food you eat, produce the paper…
Age-old technology, modern results
January 3, 2012Have you ever noticed that when there’s an electrical failure, you usually still have water? That’s because our power source is one that has, quite literally, stood the test of time. Although there have been some improvements over the years, it works on the same principle used by ancient cultures such as the Romans, Egyptians,…
Polluted runoff has far-reaching consequences
December 22, 2011Over the past few months, we’ve written about buffer zones and source water protection in an attempt to outline the importance of keeping our water supply clean. A recent study by the University of Georgia, however, drives home the fact that the effects of polluted water reach far beyond local watersheds. Researchers there found that…
Lawn brown? Don’t let it get you down
August 2, 2011With summer heat making even your thermometer break a sweat, many homeowners are taking to watering their lawns more frequently. The trouble is, that’s not always the best thing for it. For starters, frequent watering encourages grass to develop shallow roots – not the deep-reaching roots that help to create a healthy lawn capable of…
Source Water Protection is everyone’s job
July 19, 2011On Thursday, June 23, Lehigh County Authority and the City of Allentown hosted a joint presentation to explain our respective plans to protect our drinking water supplies from contamination. The presentation summed up an exhaustive study of where our water comes from and how it can be affected by any number of factors, including runoff…
Water conservation makes good cents
July 11, 2011Wasting water is like flushing money down the drain. So if you’re looking for ways to save some cash, one of the simplest solutions is to save some water. Start by checking faucets and toilets for leaks. Those little drips coming from your tap can, according to Earth Easy, waste 20 gallons of water daily…
Next stop: The buffer zone
June 28, 2011When it comes to protecting our rivers and streams, there’s one option that’s easy to accomplish yet can work wonders: a buffer zone. What’s a buffer zone? It’s an area that catches, slows and filters water runoff before it enters a stream or river. It can remove chemicals, excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen…
Learn about LCA Source Water Protection!
June 20, 2011On Thursday, June 23, you’re invited to a meeting hosted by Lehigh County Authority and the City of Allentown about our respective plans to protect our water supplies from pollution. It’s at 5:00 p.m. at the Lehigh County Government Center, 17 S. Seventh St. in Allentown. This will be the final meeting before the adoption…
What’s with the chlorine in LCA tap water?
May 2, 2011Some of our customers have been asking questions about Lehigh County Authority’s use of chlorine to make their water safe to drink. Why do we use chlorine? Because even though LCA’s water sources are high quality — in most cases, from deep wells drawing water from the local groundwater supply — it’s still necessary to…