Comments on: Dear PoP – Wasted Water?

By: DcZen

DcZen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:37:06 +0000

Washing the sidewalks should be required by all buildings in the downtown area. You can actually see a difference between those that do and those that don’t. It is not wasting water and I can’t believe anyone would think that is does.

By: Eric in Ledroit

Eric in Ledroit — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:51:56 +0000

“And urban runoff is a HUGE contributor to water pollution. Heavy metals, fertilizer, motor oil, all sorts of crap goes straight from the storm drains into the Anacostia. Enough runoff happens when it actually rains – no need to add to it by hosing down sidewalks every day.”

this doesn’t increase run-off at all! It just means the same amount of stuff gets washed away in a less spike-y manner.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:40:36 +0000

Uh, I think you missed the joke.

By: PetworthRes

PetworthRes — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:19:30 +0000

“Charging people to use water? That will never fly!”

Uh, do you people not get bills from DC WASA? You definitely get charged for water usage, though apparently it’s not enough to keep people from washing the sidewalks when they’re too lazy to use a broom.

When I first planted my garden I was paying $100/month to keep the garden watered…thankfully once the plants got established they really didn’t need much more than the rain provides…

By: PetworthRes

PetworthRes — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:19:26 +0000

“Charging people to use water? That will never fly!”

When I first planted my garden I was paying $100/month to keep the garden watered…thankfully once the plants got established they really didn’t need much more than the rain provides…

By: Darrell

Darrell — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:35:28 +0000

The spraying doesn’t bother me one bit (for all of the valid reasons listed above), but I do enjoy asking the sprayer “how’s it growing?” whenever I have a chance.

By: Who Cares?

Who Cares? — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:19:14 +0000

Water shortages are regional issues, as has been mentioned by several people above. Here in the mid-Atlantic, we’re doing just fine. The money that people pay for water usage covers the collection of this water in sewers, its treatment, and its reintroduction into the water supply.

I’m all for living green and conservation, but the trend towards sustainable living doesn’t apply to every resource on the planet in every circumstance. I’d encourage anyone who deems washing sidewalks as wasteful to read a bit about the nature of the modern riparian city and the modern urban water cycle.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:14:13 +0000

amazing. we’re complaining about people cleaning things! i love america!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:09:48 +0000

this is something that used to bother me a lot when i walked to work and it wasn’t because i ended up splattered with dirty water, though that didn’t help. it is a waste of water, regardless of whether we are in a water crisis or not. we don’t have to spend just because we can now. also, to say that the water goes right back into our rivers “without adding additional pollutants” is just wrong. as anonymous 2:23 said, all kinds of things are on the sidewalks–that we can see, like cigarette butts and oils, and things we can’t see, like fertilizers, that go right into the rivers.

By: SHAMU

SHAMU — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:06:53 +0000

How are you going to clean the bird sh*t off the sidewalks, then? You going to lick it off?