Summer
’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets, and
for thinking about ways to be environmentally aware during the
long, hot summer. I’m talking about water, energy and air
quality.
Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets, and for thinking about ways to be environmentally aware during the long, hot summer. I’m talking about water, energy and air quality.
As many of you know, the city’s water supplies are limited by our ability to pump water out of the ground. We currently have what we consider to be a short term problem with supplying adequate amounts of water during peak summer demand.
The primary factor causing this problem is the well-publicized perchlorate contamination which has forced the city to shut down three of its water wells. To improve the situation in the long run, the city is constructing a new water well, adding storage capacity to the system, using perchlorate removal systems on one or more of the wells, and cutting back on watering at parks throughout the city.
However, all of these solutions will take time to implement and the longest and hottest days of summer are fast approaching. So, what we are asking the good residents of Morgan Hill to do is use water wisely by doing the following things:
• Set your irrigation timers to water during the cool early morning hours to reduce the water lost to evaporation;
• Save water indoors by only washing full loads of dishes and laundry; and
• When there is a hot spell, check the city’s web site and/or Channel 17 to see if the city is asking for maximum conservation. During these times, consider reducing or eliminating your irrigation and other use of water until the hot spell has past.
While the stock market hasn’t yet reached its 2001 levels, the state is predicting that energy supplies will be in short supply again this summer like they were in 2001. Like saving water, being energy aware doesn’t take a rocket scientist.
Avoiding the use of major appliances during the afternoon peak demand time, setting your thermostat just a little bit higher and turning off unnecessary lights are all easy approaches to helping us all avoid blackouts.
In addition to reducing your use of water and energy, the summer is also the time of year to pay extra attention to our air quality.
The Bay Area is out of compliance with national smog laws and the Air District uses its spare the air days to identify the times when it is most critical that we minimize our driving and use of aerosol products. The District even has a program to notify you when a Spare-The-Air day is declared. Go to http://www.sparetheair.org/ for more information.
Eco-Fact of the Week: What’s the difference between ground level ozone and stratospheric ozone? Location. Location. Location.
Stratospheric ozone, often called “good ozone,” resides in a layer about 15 to 35 miles above the earth’s surface and serves the beneficial function of screening out the most harmful solar rays, allowing the earth’s lifeforms to survive.
“Bad ozone” is the ozone that develops largely from the emissions of human activities and does damage to our health and well-being when we breathe it in here at ground level. It is no small irony that the emissions of manmade chemicals seem to promote bad ozone and destroy good ozone. (Thanks to the Spare the Air Web Page)
Eco-Web Page of the Week: The City’s Web Site at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov is where requests for maximum conservation will be posted prominently.
Anthony Eulo, an assistant to the city manager for the City of Morgan Hill, frequently bikes to work in order to reduce air pollution. He welcomes your questions, comments and thoughts, and can be reached at en*****@************ca.gov or 779-7247.
