CPWA Appreciates Customer Assistance During Drought

The CPWA would like to thank all of our customers who complied with the temporary watering ban that was put in place on June 21st through June 22nd.  Your cooperation helped to ease the demand on our system and allow tank levels to return to normal levels.  This was the first time in the history of the CPWA that we required such drastic measures to maintain safe levels of storage in our system. 

We saw unprecedented demand on the water system in the month of June, breaking our previous record for water usage in the system for a calendar month (158 million gallons) by 17 million gallons.  The 175 million gallons used in June averages out to 5.83 million gallons per day.

We would also like to thank all of our customers who regularly adhere to our odd/even lawn watering restrictions.  If all of our customers watered their lawns in compliance with these regulations, the CPWA would easily be able to maintain storage levels and ease the strain on CPWA sources.  Please remember that these rules apply from May 1st to September 30th every year.

Thank you again for your help in preserving our precious resource.

Lawn Watering Restrictions in Effect

Every year, the Clifton Park Water Authority implements water conservation measures in the form of odd/even lawn watering restrictions.  These measures are in place from May 1^st through September 30^th and are both sensible to conserve this precious resource and necessary to ensure the CPWA’s ability to provide continuous water service to the 35,000 people who rely on it for drinking water supply.

The odd/even lawn watering restrictions simply mean that houses with odd numbered addresses can water on odd numbered days of the month and even numbered houses can water on even numbered days of the month.  Compliance with these regulations by every customer in the CPWA system would all but guarantee that there would be adequate supply for the entire system, without the need to implement further restrictions during extended dry periods.

A lawn does not need to be watered every day to survive.  Proper watering techniques can help to guarantee the health and beauty of your lawn.  A lawn benefits most when it receives 1 to 1.5 inches of water, all in one application, as opposed to smaller waterings multiple times a week. 

It is also best to water in the early morning, before 10 a.m. to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation and maximize the amount of water absorbed by grass roots.  Water will evaporate four to eight times faster in the afternoon, as opposed to early morning.

Water conservation benefits not only the environment, but adherence to the CPWA’s lawn watering restrictions can ensure that we all have a continuous source of water for domestic use, while still providing adequate nourishment for lawns and gardens to thrive.

With Cold Weather, Customers May See Cloudy Water

Cloudy water is caused by air bubbles in the water. It is neither a reason for alarm, nor a health risk. It usually happens during the coldest part of winter, when water temperatures are at their lowest. Customers in the northern end of the CPWA system, generally in the Exit 10 to Exit 12 areas, will see this phenomenon more than customers in the rest of the water system. The reason is that during the winter months, the water that the CPWA purchases from the Saratoga County Water Authority remains predominantly in that part of the system and cloudy water is normally only seen in water originating in a surface water source, such as a lake or river. The SCWA takes its water from the upper Hudson River, while the CPWA's own sources are all groundwater wells. Air is more soluble in water that is colder or as pressure increases. In the winter, as the source water for the SCWA nears freezing temperatures, air dissolves into the water easily and with the addition of pressure in the water mains, the air remains in solution until it reaches the customer's tap. As the water is allowed to warm slightly in the piping of the customer's home, or after it is placed in a glass and pressure is relieved, the air will begin to come out of solution in the form of bubbles, much like a carbonated soft drink. As stated earlier, this condition is not harmful and it is not necessary to allow the air to dissipate prior to drinking. It's just air. Once the cold days of February get past us, customers should see the cloudy water disappear for the remainder of the year.