Water Supply
Green up the garden, not the waterways – over-fertilization causes nutrient pollution
March 29, 2017With spring comes the greening of lawns and gardens — and, by extension, the greening of rivers, streams and other bodies of water. The first is a good thing. The second — well, that’s decidedly bad. As we finally dust off the winter doldrums and head outside to start gardening, it’s easy to…
Plastics are polluting our waterways
January 26, 2017If you’ve seen The Graduate, you might remember the immortal words of Mr. McGuire to Benjamin Braddock: “There’s a great future in plastics.” In the 50 years since that movie’s debut, it’s become clear that those were wise words — at least from an investor’s point of view: Civilization has become addicted to plastic. And…
Water you waiting for? Teach kids about the importance of H20 today
January 16, 2017It’s no secret that the Earth’s clean water resources are shrinking rapidly. Pollution, waste, drought — all play a role in draining our supplies of potable H20. There are, of course, many ways we can conserve water. The trouble is, it’s often hard to convince people that water is a finite resource. As long as…
Some water-saving tips for cold weather
November 29, 2016Even though it looks like the Lehigh Valley region is in for some heavy rain over the next few days, we’re nowhere near out of the woods when it comes to the DEP’s drought warning. That calls for all of us to make some smart decisions when it comes to water use. As we’ve stated…
Dumpster pools and hydrants are not the way to chill out
August 8, 2016Philadelphia’s Dumpster pools have been all over the news, so it seems a good time to remind everyone (especially with a wave of 90-degree-plus weather predicted for later this week) that it is NOT cool to use hydrants — or Dumpsters — to beat the heat. While the idea of using a trash receptacle for a pool is pretty…
From deep underground to deep trouble
August 1, 2016Can you name the next big thing in the mining industry? A newfound vein of gold or silver, perhaps? Rare earths that are used in cell phones? Previously untapped supplies of coal? Nope. It’s water. In India and other countries all over the globe, people have given up traditional farming and instead are selling water…
Every drop really does matter
July 25, 2016As you probably know, part of LCA’s motto is “every drop matters,” but have you ever thought about what that really means? As Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently pointed out, “You may think every drop of rain falling from the sky, or each glass of water you drink, is…
Some relief for Flint residents
February 7, 2016There’s some good news out of Flint, Mich.: members of a plumbers and pipefitters union have been installing new faucets and state-provided water filters, for free, in homes affected by the city’s water crisis. The new faucets were needed in some homes because the existing fixtures were too old to accommodate the filters. The filters…
Flint, Mich. water disaster highlights nation’s infrastructure problems
January 22, 2016If you’ve been following the news, you know that Flint, Mich., is in the middle of a water crisis. It’s a disturbing event that really drives home the importance of fresh, clean, drinkable water. It’s something we take for granted — until we don’t have it. One troubling aspect of this disaster is that it may have…
Hey, hey, hay — and a dwindling water supply
November 3, 2015If you look at a drought map for the western United States, you’ll see that conditions there are, in a word, grim. In Arizona, much of the state has been experiencing a moderate drought, with some sections suffering under extreme drought, severe drought or abnormally dry conditions. And now the region is facing a new…