Water Conservation

Declared Water-Supply Status as of December 17th - Our region's (the Southwest) 90-Day Precipitation and our "90-Day Stream Flow" are both listed as "extremely dry."    We remain in "Emergency" mode for our region's "Unconf Ground Water" rating.

The DEO report that despite recent rain and snowfall statewide that have generally helped the water supply conditions across New Jersey, the accumulations were not enough to change current water supply conditions and we remain in drought warning. The public is strongly urged to continue voluntary water conservation practices.  NJ Rainfall totals this past week totaled between 1.2 and 2.0 inches of rain.

See also:  the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Drought Information website - https://dep.nj.gov/drought/.  Current Status - Warning.  Residents are being asked to voluntarily use water sparingly.  Trenton Water Works has issued a mandatory water conservation notice.  

Sustainability Overview

Clean Communities

EV Charging Infrastructure (coming soon)

Ewing Community Gardens

Green Business Recognition

Lawns

Leave the Leaves

-- Leave the Leaves - for Homeowners
-- Leave the Leaves for Landscapers

Native/Invasive Species Education

-- Emerald Ash Borer
-- Wild About Ewing (Ewing Green Team)

Only Rain Down the Storm Drains (coming soon)

Recycling / Paper Shredding Initiatives

-- Brush and Bulk Waste
-- Paper Shredding
-- Project Medicine Drop

Stormwater

-- Stormwater Management
-- Stormwater Resources
-- Report Road Salt Spillage

Water Conservation

-- Water Conservation Tips

All people have a right to clean and ample water that sustains life.  The Township of Ewing is committed to reducing water use, loss and waste. We promote water conservation and urge you to do your part to help reduce water usage and protect our water sources for generations to come.

Water is one of our most wasted natural resources; possibly because it is so plentiful in our area of the country. Recent studies suggest that ensuring safe and sufficient water will be one of the major issues facing us in the coming decades. Despite the fact that ocean water covers over 70% of our planet, there is a finite supply of the freshwater needed to stay alive. The numerous stresses on that supply include, but are not limited to: climate change, which will cause longer and more frequent droughts, shrink water supplies and lead to saltwater incursion; exploding population growth which results in building in locations where freshwater supplies are insufficient; lack of proper water sanitation, where water can become tainted with any number of diseases and parasites; agricultural pressures; and pollution.

These factors will significantly impact water quantity, where and when it is available, and its quality.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is currently working on a Statewide Water Supply Plan. Our state has “repeatedly faced a confluence of water resource challenges that have tested both infrastructure and responsiveness in recent years.”  In the summer of 2022, we experienced a Drought Watch due to the combination of extremely low precipitation and streamflow.  We also faced the failure of aging infrastructure and water systems dealing with sources contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  Harmful algal blooms were also worsened by extremely warm temperatures. In 2023 the state faced additional challenges, with four months of near record temperatures and the wettest December on record.

“The combination of these challenges in 2022 and 2023 severely tested the resilience of New Jersey’s management of water resources. Such conditions are expected to persist or worsen in the future, requiring the DEP and its partner institutions to delicately balance the management of water resources by carefully administering planning, regulatory, investment and incident response initiatives.”^[1]

^[1] https://nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2024/24_0226pn.htm

Here are a few statistics about water use/cost in your home:

• The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $5.68 for 1,000 gallons.^[1]
• In the home, each person uses about 82 gallons of water a day.  (USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015).
• It takes three gallons to flush a toilet.
• It takes 15 to 30 gallons to take a bath.
• It takes five gallons for a one-minute shower.
• It takes 10 gallons to wash dishes.

This is a lot of water, but more than half of the water used in the United States is used by industries. For example, it takes 250 tons of water to make a ton of newspaper and 10 gallons to produce one gallon of gasoline. Given these facts, it’s understandable why it’s so important to conserve water.

^[1] https://www.epa.gov/watersense/data-and-information-used-watersense#Cost%20of%20Water