Help protect Lake Michigan, use less water when there’s heavy rain

(Milwaukee, WI) – With two inches of rain possible between now and Friday night, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) reminds its customers that you can help protect Lake Michigan and reduce the risk of a sewer overflow by using less water when there’s heavy rain.

“We could keep 11 million gallons of wastewater out of the sewer system if each of MMSD’s 1.1 million customers cut water use by just 10 gallons on a day with heavy rain,” said MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer. “We each use about 65 gallons of water a day. There are many ways to conserve some water without disrupting our lives.”

The “Every Drop Counts” water-conservation campaign is NOT a magic fix that promises to end all sewer overflows. It is one of the many solutions needed to help protect our rivers and lakes.

Some tips for saving water: ·

Wait to do laundry until the storm passes. Always wash full loads.

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Take a short shower instead of a bath.

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Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.

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Fix leaks. Nationally, 14% of the water we pay for drips down the drain thanks to leaky plumbing.

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Cut indoor water use by 1/3 or more. Install low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets and cut water use by 1/3 or more.

For more information on the “Every Drop Counts” campaign, visit: www.everydrop.org. The site features fact sheets that can be reproduced for free for newsletters, mailings and brochures (look in the “resources” section).

Know someone who would like to receive MMSD environmental and news updates? To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: bgraffin@mmsd.com