Water Consumption

I just read your column on water. You mention just about everyone - athletes, women, kids, etc. There is no mention of seniors like myself. I'm 80 years old, ride a stationary bike every day and am in good health. How much water should I drink? Your exercise program sounds great, and I'm glad to hear you are in good health. To answer your question, I turned to one of the best sources in the area - Dr. William Greenough, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Greenough is a specialist in geriatrics, but don't think he's any young know-it-all.

I want to thank Ms. Nina Platt of Homeland for providing me with a copy of her outrageous water bill - and her neighbor's - because, until this happened, I was feeling left out of the Great Baltimore Water Bill Commiseration. It seems like everybody in the city but me has a goofy and outrageous water bill to brag and gripe about. My bill looks normal, boring and puny compared to what I see here: $813.75 due by May 29 for Ms. Platt, who lives alone, and $1,219.06 for the family of four next door.

Water consumption in Maryland was down 10 percent the first full week after mandatory water restrictions were imposed, according to state calculations released yesterday.The drop was at the lower end of the 10 percent to 15 percent savings that state officials had hoped for, but Gov. Parris N. Glendening said circumstances do not warrant imposing additional water-use restrictions.The governor urged residents to keep finding creative ways to conserve water."Every long-term forecast indicates that the drought in Maryland will continue," Glendening said.

'Home' evokes many nostalgic meanings. But it is also the place where you sleep, eat, shower, use the bathroom and wash dishes and clothes. According to water consumption records of City Council members, two are either models of green living or frequently don't use the addresses listed as their homes in city ethics filings for the activities listed above. Some records can't be tracked because the residence is a condominium and water bills are divided equally among residents. It has already been widely publicized that City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young lives around the corner from the place listed on his ethics forms.

Back to school: Parents expect to spend more this year on clothing and supplies for the new school year, finds American Express, which surveyed 1,000 people. The average budget is $363 per child, up 12 percent from last year. Clothing accounts for 58 percent of the budget, with jeans topping the list.Glug: Bottled water consumption in the United States has more than doubled in a decade from 1.1 billion gallons in 1985 to 2.7 billion last year, reports Beverage Marketing Corp. Concern about the safety of drinking water is one reason for the increase, but consumers also are switching to bottled water as an alternative to beverages with caffeine, sugar or alcohol.

Virginia Novak stood outside her Roland Park home one recent afternoon and noticed something odd. No sprinklers. The mother of three usually sees at least a few sprinklers on her neighbors' lawns, but lately they have been a rare sight. She also has seen fewer people washing their cars. Novak suspects that her neighbors are heeding the city's recent request to save water. In response to continuing drought conditions, the city asked this month for voluntary water conservation measures, and many residents and businesses have obliged.

DESPITE THE recent rain, it appears that Maryland and much of the East Coast is becoming, if not a desert, a lot drier than normal. The statistics are already terrifying since winter is traditionally our wettest season, and most days in recent months have been sunny and warm with cold, dry nights. Gov. Parris N. Glendening has said that Maryland is headed toward one of its severest droughts ever, having experienced its fourth-driest winter since records were first kept in 1871. I've lost track of how many times we've been asked to cut back on our water consumption over the years.

I want to thank Ms. Nina Platt of Homeland for providing me with a copy of her outrageous water bill - and her neighbor's - because, until this happened, I was feeling left out of the Great Baltimore Water Bill Commiseration. It seems like everybody in the city but me has a goofy and outrageous water bill to brag and gripe about. My bill looks normal, boring and puny compared to what I see here: $813.75 due by May 29 for Ms. Platt, who lives alone, and $1,219.06 for the family of four next door.

With daytime temperatures remaining in the 90s and little prospect for extended rainfall, Carroll's fields and lawns will probably be even more dried out at the end of this week than they are now. While farmers may pray for rain to save their crops, homeowners typically just turn on their faucets to maintain the deep green of their lawns. If current conditions persist, they may not be able to continue that habit.Hampstead Mayor Clinton Becker has issued an emergency decree banning all outdoor uses of water in the town.

Parts of Maryland haven't had rain in nearly 40 days and 40 nights, since Aug. 6, and the lack of moisture is taking its toll. Soybeans and corn are burning up in the fields. Even the most carefully maintained lawns have taken on a brown tinge. Many trees -- usually covered with a late summer growth of deep green leaves -- prematurely have taken on fall colors of yellow, red and brown.The record dry spell has hit hardest on the Eastern Shore, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists consider that part of the state to be in extreme drought.

I just read your column on water. You mention just about everyone - athletes, women, kids, etc. There is no mention of seniors like myself. I'm 80 years old, ride a stationary bike every day and am in good health. How much water should I drink? Your exercise program sounds great, and I'm glad to hear you are in good health. To answer your question, I turned to one of the best sources in the area - Dr. William Greenough, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Greenough is a specialist in geriatrics, but don't think he's any young know-it-all.

Concerned about increased use of public water, Carroll County officials are calling for conservation from residents in South Carroll, the county's most populous and largest water service area. Officials want to exercise caution because daily demand for water jumped nearly 400,000 gallons to 2.6 million gallons during the week of May 23, which was unseasonably hot. Despite milder temperatures last week, usage has not returned to lower numbers. The county would like to maintain average daily use at about 2.3 million gallons.

Concerned about increased use of public water, Carroll County officials are calling for conservation from residents in South Carroll, the county's most populous and largest water service area. Officials want to exercise caution because daily demand for water jumped nearly 400,000 gallons to 2.6 million gallons during the week of May 23, which was unseasonably hot. Despite milder temperatures last week, use has not returned to lower numbers. The county would like to maintain average daily use at about 2.3 million gallons.

Remember the drought? Well, it's over. On the day when winter turned to spring -- with flood warnings out and heavy rain washing away the last of February's snow -- Baltimore's public works chief ended mandatory restrictions yesterday on water consumption that had been imposed in August. About 1.8 million water customers in the city and nearby suburbs may wash their cars at home again without worrying about the water police. "I would like to thank our water customers for their efforts in conserving water during this long drought," said Public Works Director George L. Winfield.

Virginia Novak stood outside her Roland Park home one recent afternoon and noticed something odd. No sprinklers. The mother of three usually sees at least a few sprinklers on her neighbors' lawns, but lately they have been a rare sight. She also has seen fewer people washing their cars. Novak suspects that her neighbors are heeding the city's recent request to save water. In response to continuing drought conditions, the city asked this month for voluntary water conservation measures, and many residents and businesses have obliged.

DESPITE THE recent rain, it appears that Maryland and much of the East Coast is becoming, if not a desert, a lot drier than normal. The statistics are already terrifying since winter is traditionally our wettest season, and most days in recent months have been sunny and warm with cold, dry nights. Gov. Parris N. Glendening has said that Maryland is headed toward one of its severest droughts ever, having experienced its fourth-driest winter since records were first kept in 1871. I've lost track of how many times we've been asked to cut back on our water consumption over the years.

Hampstead requests limits on water useHampstead officials are asking water customers to voluntarily limit the use of water at homes and businesses during the current hot, dry weather.Water consumption in the town normally ranges from 340,000 gallons to 360,000 gallons a day. The recent heat has caused an increase in water usage to more than 500,000 gallons a day.While there is sufficient water for daily requirements such as drinking, bathing and laundry, the increase in usage, combined with a lack of rainfall, has caused the water level in town wells to be significantly below normal.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening's plans to declare a drought emergency for Central Maryland were postponed yesterday ... by rain. With a light drizzle and showers in the region, and more predicted for today and tomorrow, the governor instead issued a news release, exhorting Marylanders to act voluntarily to reduce their water consumption by 10 percent. "We still anticipate declaring [a] drought emergency for Central Maryland unless the rain continues for much longer than predicted," Glendening said.

With reservoirs, wells and streams in Maryland at record lows for the season, Gov. Parris N. Glendening is preparing to declare a drought emergency in parts of the state and impose mandatory restrictions on water use, a spokeswoman said yesterday. "We are definitely moving toward a drought emergency," said Susan Woods, a spokeswoman for the governor. "The data [are] all there." Eighteen Maryland counties are under drought watches and warnings, which call for voluntary cuts in water consumption.