Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District

Water Conservation Given High Priority During Natural Resources Conservation Week

Dryden ElementaryThe Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and its 47 local conservation districts have set aside October 15-21, 2006, as Natural Resources Conservation Week. This years theme, Water Wise, highlights the importance of conserving water resources.

Water is vital to life, but we often take it for granted. Water makes up more than 60% of our bodies and about 75% of our brains. Water helps make possible our every movement, thought, and feeling. All our food and most other products we use require water. It takes about 4,000 gallons of water to grow a bushel of corn, and about 11,000 gallons for a bushel of wheat.

This precious resource may become increasingly scarce as we place more and more demands on fresh water supplies. We want people in Lee County to learn how important it is to help conserve water and how easy it can be, says Lisa Harris, Education Coordinator for Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District.

This year, the staff at Daniel Boone is very excited to have the cooperation of Lee County Public Schools in observing Natural Resources Conservation Week. The Lee County School Board agreed to participate in a bulletin board program coordinated by Daniel Boone during the designated week. Daniel Boone put together bulletin boards materials for all the schools in the county that incorporate the Water Wise theme with specific information about Lee County. Since todays students will make tomorrows conservation decisions, Daniel Boone created the displays to help students to be educated, concerned, and pro-active in their choices.

The bulletin boards explore water quality issues specific to Lee County. Lee County is a karst region, which means the landscape contains an abundance of limestone. Water dissolves limestone, creating sinkholes, caves, and underground river systems. Basically, karst terrain could be described as hollow areas underneath a thin layer of topsoil. Some types of terrain can remove pollution from water as it passes through soil layers. But karst landscapes do not allow for effective filtration of groundwater pollutants. In an area where many people get there water from wells, knowledge of karst is extremely important.
To ensure future availability of clean water, Lee County residents need to learn about water resources and plan to use them carefully. Here are some important ideas that can help to save one of our most precious natural resources:
If you change your own oil, take the used oil to a recycling station like Flatwoods and St. Charles Convenience Centers. Never dump oil into a creek or storm drain.
Run a full dishwasher, or if hand-washing, turn off the faucet when rinsing.
Take shorter showers or shallow baths.
Repair leaky faucets.
Let lawn grow to 3 inches and water sparingly—once every 5-7 days at the maximum.
Run only full loads of laundry or user the correct load setting.
Apply pesticides and fertilizers according to instructions on the label.
Collect litter and animal waste before they wash into storm drains. Home septic tanks should be located, constructed and installed according to regulations. Maintenance and prompt correction of problems are important.
Conserving water saves energy and conserving energy saves water.
There are many other ways to conserve and protect water. Spread the word to friends, neighbors, colleagues, and children about the very important reasons we all need to be Water Wise.

If you are interested in special projects or materials for Natural Resources Conservation Week, or for other conservation-related information, please contact Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District at 276-346-1658 ext. 3.