Spring Break
Governor Issues Drought Warning
Diane Pauley
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News
With the recent lack of rain becoming a major issue, Gov. M. Jodi Rell issued a drought advisory Friday in order to help the state conserve more water.
According to a recent press release from Gov. Rell, "Rainfall totals over the past few months have been 35 percent below normal."
"The water supply is the highest priority ... it affects agriculture, fisheries and much more," said Jason Vokoun, an assistant professor at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
UConn obtains its water supply from both the Fenton River and the Willimantic River, according to Vokoun. But the Willimantic is currently very low and there has been no pumping of the Fenton since July.
To combat this decline in the water supply, UConn is consistently making changes on campus and taking the initiative to conserve water. The grass on campus is not being watered, the shuttle buses are not being cleaned and the dining halls are using paper plates and utensils during breakfast and lunch.
An EcoMadness Competition is also currently taking place on campus between Northwest, Towers, and Shippee to conserve water. Students have been encouraged to cut showers to 10 to 15 minutes (which can save up to 200 to 300 gallons per month,) turn off the faucet while brushing teeth, report leaks and do full loads of laundry. The winners of the challenge will receive a UConn Dairy Bar ice cream party.
"Governor Rell's overall goal is for the state to cut back on water usage - including the various campuses, businesses and the 50,000 employees for the state of Connecticut," according to Adam Liegeot, a spokesman for Gov. Rell.
To achieve this goal, 'Drought Coordinators' will be instated in each of Connecticut's 169 towns. "The mayors and/or first selectmen of each town and city in Connecticut will designate someone on their staff to coordinateefforts for conserving water at a local level," Liegeot said.
If conditions continue to become worse, a drought watch will be issued. If that happens and conditions still continue to decline, a drought emergency will be put into effect.
Contact Diane Pauley at
Diane.Pauley@UConn.edu.
According to a recent press release from Gov. Rell, "Rainfall totals over the past few months have been 35 percent below normal."
"The water supply is the highest priority ... it affects agriculture, fisheries and much more," said Jason Vokoun, an assistant professor at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
UConn obtains its water supply from both the Fenton River and the Willimantic River, according to Vokoun. But the Willimantic is currently very low and there has been no pumping of the Fenton since July.
To combat this decline in the water supply, UConn is consistently making changes on campus and taking the initiative to conserve water. The grass on campus is not being watered, the shuttle buses are not being cleaned and the dining halls are using paper plates and utensils during breakfast and lunch.
An EcoMadness Competition is also currently taking place on campus between Northwest, Towers, and Shippee to conserve water. Students have been encouraged to cut showers to 10 to 15 minutes (which can save up to 200 to 300 gallons per month,) turn off the faucet while brushing teeth, report leaks and do full loads of laundry. The winners of the challenge will receive a UConn Dairy Bar ice cream party.
"Governor Rell's overall goal is for the state to cut back on water usage - including the various campuses, businesses and the 50,000 employees for the state of Connecticut," according to Adam Liegeot, a spokesman for Gov. Rell.
To achieve this goal, 'Drought Coordinators' will be instated in each of Connecticut's 169 towns. "The mayors and/or first selectmen of each town and city in Connecticut will designate someone on their staff to coordinateefforts for conserving water at a local level," Liegeot said.
If conditions continue to become worse, a drought watch will be issued. If that happens and conditions still continue to decline, a drought emergency will be put into effect.
Contact Diane Pauley at
Diane.Pauley@UConn.edu.
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