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Cantabrigians urged to take shorter showers
By adamg on Sun, 11/10/2024 - 12:35pm
The Crimson reports the prolonged drought has been drying up Cambridge's reservoirs, leading to officials urging residents to conserve water - like by taking shorter showers. Worst case, Cambridge could buy water from the MWRA, which has larger, still relatively plentiful water sources out west, but that water would cost more.
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Comments
Is bath still allowed?
Is bath still allowed?
Baths use less water than the
Baths use less water than the average shower so don’t worry this advisory won’t affect your bath time.
Only if everyone in the household….
…. shares the bath water.
In the middle of ...
The kitchen ..
Is there another way? No idea
Is there another way? No idea how rich live.
Nothing has been forbidden
so I'm unclear on why you're asking.
But if you do want to help out, I can recommend the "Navy shower", which I just do as a matter of course anyhow: Get your body and washcloth wet, turn off the water, soap and scrub, then turn the water back on for a minute to rinse. Seems weird at first but now I find it normal, and use *way* less water. (Every once in a while I take a longer, hot shower. I'm not an ascetic.)
Maybe he's heard the news out
Maybe he's heard the news out of New York City:
https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/822-24/mayor-adams-bans-gri...
Curtis Silwa said it's one shower every 12 hours on his radio show [WABC] last night.
Show me on the release
where a quantity of showers per amount of time restriction exists. Control+F isn't coming up with it by looking for "12" "twelve" or "hours"
Curtis as usual was just
Curtis as usual was just blowing smoke @brainjdamico.
That's a good idea, especially if one shampoos in the shower.
I shampoo twice a week, and I both shampoo and condition my hair, using the navy shower method, and then rinsing out afterwards.
Get busy Quabbin or get busy dying
Cambridge's insistence on using its own water sources is an unforced error that puts the town at risk during short-term droughts and pollution scares. The Quabbin has served Eastern Mass for so long and has almost never dropped below 80% capacity.
https://www.mwra.com/media/file/2024-09-water-use-comparison
Demand has remained well below safety thresholds since the early 90s and is often at 98%+ capacity during normal weather.
https://www.mwra.com/your-water-system/reservoirs-watersheds/water-suppl...
See also...
https://www.universalhub.com/2022/cambridge-switching-crisp-clear-clean-...
So what's the problem?
If Cambridge can switch to the MWRA supply at any time, why should switch over permanently? The current system of Cambridge using their own supply gives a small amount of redundancy should the MWRA supply ever stop working. (Which has happened.)
Cambridge water is badly polluted
Cambridge's water source is Hobbs Brook Reservoir, which accepts runoff from Route 128. It is badly contaminated with brake pad dust, tire dust, oil, paint chips, windshield washer fluid, etc. Cambridge water has exceeded federal PFAS limits several times, including after they installed a new filtration system.
This is the problem with Cambridge's water; it is polluted by highway runoff, and likely many other toxic sources. It is known to accept carcinogenic materials in large quantities.
It doesn't seem to make much sense at all to pump this water into tens of thousands of households when there is a much cleaner and safer source (the Quabbin) that all nearby communities use. Cambridge could be used as a backup for the region, if needed, not the other way around.
If Cambridge can switch to
One good reason would be that Cambridge water tastes awful and MWRA water is award-winningly delicious. The swirtch would save Cambridge residents a lot of money in filters and bottled water
Cambridge water is salty,
Cambridge water is salty, thanks to road salt runoff from Route 128.
Besides the taste, the salt clogs plumbing fixtures really easily.
It also has concerning levels of PFAS, thanks to firefighting foam at Hanscom Field. Maybe the city’s new expensive filters reduce it enough, who knows?
Pipes
I remember during the drought of the latter half of the '80s when we had brown water in far North Cambridge that had to be filtered - reportedly because parts of the system still had the original pipes made from hollowed white pine logs from the 19th century, and the drought had put them above the water table so that they were rotting.
And switching to mwra would
And switching to mwra would allow the fresh pond reservoir to be open without a fence like Jamaica pond and the chestnut hill reservoir. People could even kayak and sail on it.
The problem appears
The problem appears to be that Cambridge is currently undergoing water scarcity issues, again, while every town around it is doing fine. If they could switch to MWRA at any time I don't think the state would be out there telling the sweaty cyclists in Middlesex County to avoid bathing.
Because they are switching over a lot these days
I can't see why they want to retain their own system when they have had to switch to MWRA water at least three times in recent memory.
That’s right! Behold our
That’s right! Behold our superior water, cantabs!
-somervillian
Versus: Freedom Showers.
Versus: Freedom Showers.