Illinois American Water Reminds Customers to Conserve Water
Illinois American Water is reminding customers to use water wisely. Annually, May 15 through September 15, residents are required to follow water conservation measures in the company's Northern Illinois operations.
These measures require watering of lawns and other outdoor uses to only be done on an "odd/even" watering basis. Customers whose street addresses end in an odd number may water only on an odd numbered calendar day and vice versa. These measures are approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission for communities that are supplied with Lake Michigan water or have a Lake Michigan water allocation.
Customers are also encouraged to implement wise water use practices:
• Water your lawn only when it needs it. An easy way to tell is to simply walk across the grass. If it springs back you don't need to water, but if you leave footprints, it’s time to water.
• Set your lawn mower one notch higher to make your lawn more drought tolerant.
• Consider using drip irrigation or a rain barrel to water your outdoor plants and water in the early morning. As much as 30 percent of water can be lost to evaporation by watering during mid-day.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your sidewalk, driveway or patio.
• Forego the hose and wash your car with a bucket and sponge instead, which uses only a few gallons to do the job, while a hose left running can waste as much as six gallons per minute.
• Keep a pitcher of cold tap water in the refrigerator. You will avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water.
• Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save eight gallons per day.
• Regularly check your toilet, faucets and pipes for leaks and have them fixed promptly. An easy test for toilet leaks from EPA WaterSense is to place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color tints the water in the bowl without flushing, there is a leak.
More wise water use tips can be found at www.illinoisamwater.com.
About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.