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Health & Fitness

Peak Water Usage

A community’s peak water usage influences its cost of water supply. The water supply system must have the capacity to meet maximum demand on any given day, with enough left over to fight a fire. Wells must be able to pump enough, tanks must be able to hold enough, and water mains must be able to conduct enough water in summer when demand is highest.

As a community grows, it must either add water supply capacity, or use water ever more efficiently in order to accommodate new growth. It must also be mindful of the impact of well pumping on valuable environmental resources such as wetlands, brooks and lakes which tend to be most stressed during summer droughts–the same time that demand peaks as a result of outdoor water use.

Sharon’s award-winning water conservation program has significantly reduced peak demand, despite the additional water needs of projects such as the 156-unit Avalon Bay apartments and the 79-unit Wilber School apartments. So far, conservation has allowed the town to avoid the multi-million dollar cost of importing water from MWRA. It might even be enough to accommodate new developments such as the Sharon Commons mall and its associated residential development, and the proposed subdivision at Rattlesnake Hill, especially if summertime water use efficiency continues to improve.

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Historically, Well #6 has been used only to meet peak summer demand. The Water Department tries to avoid pumping Well #6 because its water is discolored by iron and manganese. A new water filtration facility has been proposed to remove the iron and manganese. It would cost approximately $4 million to build, plus operating costs.

Thanks in large part to conservation, Well #6 was not needed during the past two summers. It might never be needed if Sharon’s water use efficiency continues to improve.

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Despite Sharon’s remarkable success with water conservation, substantial further improvement is feasible. Consider that the 500 most water-efficient households in Sharon average less than 30 gallons per person per day–far less than the town-wide average of 57 gallons per person per day in 2012. If everyone used water as efficiently as the conservation leaders, water use in Sharon could be cut almost in half.

In the long run, conserving water keeps down the cost of supplying the community with water. It also improves the health of local environmental resources, which, in turn, help support local property values and enhance quality of life in Sharon. You can compute your own household’s water use efficiency by dividing the total amount of water used in a year (from your last four water bills) by the number of household occupants, and then dividing by 365 days.

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