Tag: conservation
Install a rain barrel to keep that garden growing
July 7, 2016We’re entering the hot stretch of summer, when temperatures hover in the 90s and rain doesn’t arrive often enough to keep our vegetables and flowers sufficiently watered. It also means the water table will start to drop. In fact, the U.S.G.S. is already showing areas of the state that are nearing — or already in —…
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,…
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…
Tired of the rain? Save some before it goes away
July 8, 2015With all the rain we’ve had recently, saving some water for a (non-) rainy day is probably the last thing on your mind. Yet it’s actually the perfect time to think about it, because waiting until your garden is dry and the plants are wilted and brown is too late. A rain barrel is the…
Got leaks? Here’s how to find out
October 15, 2014Don’t let a little leak add up to big charges on your water bill. We sometimes get requests from customers seeking a discount when they’ve lost water because of a leak in their home. Unfortunately, we cannot provide discounts for water lost because of leaks, because our nonprofit business model requires that we charge for…
In California, brown is the new green
September 10, 2014We’ve written several times about the problems posed by watering a lawn as the heat increases and the summer wanes. In California, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is taking it a step further. They’ve just introduced a new campaign called “Brown is the New Green.” The goal, organizers say, is to persuade residents “to…
World Water Week 2014 begins Sunday
August 28, 2014As August ends and summer draws to a close, World Water Week 2014 kicks off in Stockholm, Sweden. Presented by the Stockholm International Water Institute since 1991, World Water Week serves as a platform for discussions about anything and everything that have an impact on our Earth’s water supply. The SIWS website says the annual…
Lake Meade levels paint a frightening picture
August 21, 2014We’ve experienced drought in the Lehigh Valley: crops have shriveled, lawns turned brown, sometimes wells even went dry. But the drought in the Southwest is like nothing we’ve seen here; at least not in our lifetimes. They’ve had 14 years of a dry so severe it’s left Lake Meade – the largest reservoir in the…
Proper watering is key to healthy plants, happy environment
June 22, 2014The summer heat is about to hit. Proper watering techniques will ensure your gardens don’t take the brunt of the impact — and also conserve your liquid assets. The first step, according to Rodale’s Organic Gardening, is determining the garden’s soil type: sand, loam or clay, or some combination thereof. Loamy soils are usually the…
Celebrate Earth Day with these regional events
April 19, 2013Earth Day is on the way, and there are plenty of events in the Lehigh Valley and beyond to celebrate and promote environmental responsibility. LCA has compiled a list of a few of them for you here. Nature Conservancy: Hold a picnic for Earth Day. Click here to learn how to participate. Emmaus Community Cleanup and electronics…