Roslyn Water District Initiates“Save 2 Minutes” Water Conservation Program

The Roslyn Water District has initiated a program designed to save up to 10% of the Districts’ annual irrigation water usage.

The program is outlined in a brochure now available to residents, automatic irrigation service organizations, civic associations and local government agencies. It advises that the timing of each zone in residents’ automatic irrigation system be reduced by just 2 minutes.

This is the second major initiative introduced by the District. It recognizes the desire of the District residents to maintain attractive lawns and gardens while emphasizing the very real need to conserve and protect our quality water.

This follows the successful program initiated in 2015, which staggered irrigation schedules by community that resulted in a dramatic improvement in water availability during peak demand.

Recently the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has mandated that all water suppliers present a plan to reduce peak season watering demand by 15% over the next 3-4 years. This is the result of their analysis of annual water pumpage for Nassau and Suffolk counties confirming that peak water demand more than doubles during the warmer months. Irrigation is the primary cause of this seasonal increase.

The “Save 2 Minutes” initiative recognizes the typical duration of irrigation per zone is 20 minutes. By reducing the timing in each zone by 2 minutes, the homeowner can reduce their irrigation consumption by up to 10%. Irrigation specialists have indicated that this 2 minute reduction should not impact residents’ lawns or gardens.

According to Michael J. Kosinski, Chairman of the Roslyn Water District, “Automatic irrigation accounts for more than half the total water usage in the District. Implementing this voluntary program throughout the District can go a long way towards the goal of insuring the District is able to equitably distribute an adequate supply of quality water for our residents and for future generations.”

According to Richard J. Passariello, RWD Superintendent, “We are extremely proud of this unique, sensible and easily executed initiative and look for its implementation throughout Nassau County, Long Island and across the State of New York. We are all looking for homeowner friendly and significant measures for water conservation.”

The Roslyn Water District is one of the oldest public water suppliers on Long Island, having been established in 1910.