Rain showers last week seemed to erase all memories of the drought. Almost all areas of the county received at least two inches of rain, but I heard reports that some areas received as much as six inches. Even though it was great, this rain was just a temporary relief. Most areas of the state, including Robeson County, are still in serious condition.

The drought conditions were very noticeable back during the summer when it was over 100 degrees, and every plant was struggling just to get enough water to stay alive. Everywhere we looked we could see the evidence of hot, dry conditions, and when we stepped outside, we could feel our strength zapped from the heat and humidity.

But now the temperatures are much milder. In fact, we have already had a heavy frost. The days are much shorter, so there are fewer hours for the sun to cause evaporation and for plants to lose moisture through the stomates in their leaves. Annual plants have finished their growing cycle. Farm crops have been harvested, and other plants have shed their seeds and are dying.

There is just not as much need for water now as there was back during the summer. But it is still dry. It is still very dry. There is very little water in the ground, and unless we receive quite a bit more rain during the coming months, next summer may be worse than this past summer.

The drought has been thoroughly covered by the media during recent months, and we are all learning a lot from what we see and hear. We hear about water shortages in major reservoirs in the state and are told that unless it rains, some areas have only enough water to last a couple more months. We hear reports that firefighters are hampered from fighting fires because of the lack of water. We see our own lawns drying up and trees dying in the forest.

So what are we going to do? Nothing? Just keep on doing what we have always done until there is no water left and then turn to our local, state, or federal government and expect them to fix the problem?

The agents on my staff work directly with most of the citizens in the county. The Agricultural Agents work with farmers and agribusinessmen. The 4-H Agent works with youth and youth-related volunteers. The Family and Consumer Science Agents work with families and network with others who provide services to families. We have all accepted the fact that water conservation and water management is one of the major issues within our individual program areas. We each have pledged to do whatever we can to help you learn how to use less water and to use water wisely.

Christy Strickland, Family and Consumer Science Agent on our staff, has taken the lead in this effort. She has developed a Water Conservation in the Home handout to help make us more aware of the things all of us can do to conserve water.

You may have seen or heard this information already. If so, you need to hear it again. We all need to do whatever we can to conserve water.

• Check your toilet for leaks. A leaking toilet can waste 15 gallons of water every day.
• Check the water level in the back of the tank. Water spilling over the overflow pipe can waste hundreds of gallons of water each day.
• Fill a 2-liter soft drink bottle with water and place it in the tank; this saves about 1/2 gallon of water every time you flush.
• Turn off the water when you brush. If you leave the water running while you brush, you will waste almost 10 gallons of water.
• Take shorter showers or a tub bath. A 10-minute shower uses over 70 gallons of water, whereas a standard tub holds only 20 gallons.
• Fix leaking faucets. One drip per second wastes 9 gallons of water each day or over 3,000 gallons each year.
• Use the dishwasher only when it is full. It takes 15 gallons of water for a dishwasher to operate, whether it is full or not.
• Set the proper level for the load in the washing machine. A full load cycle will use 40 gallons of water.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the faucet to get a cool glass of water. Almost 7 gallons of water are wasted each minute the faucet is running.

For more information, please call Mrs. Strickland at 910-671-3276. We need to learn how to eliminate as much waste as possible. If you have good suggestions for conserving water, share them with us. We will pass your information on to others.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 11/07/07