- About one-half of the rainfall on Long Island trickles down to replenish the aquifers in a process known as “recharge”.
- Most recharge occurs during the late fall, winter, and early spring (October–April).
- Rain in the spring and summer often does not reach the aquifers because it is used by vegetation or evaporates in the warm weather.
- All the streams, ponds, and rivers on Long Island are fed by ground water. Where the streams have dries up, the local groundwater has been depleted by human use.
- When you water your lawn in summer, the excess water you use is lost due to evaporation and does not sink back into the aquifers.
- The ground does not filter out pollutants if they are dissolved in water or rainfall.
- An average of 150 billion gallons of water or more is pumped from the aquifers in a typical year.
- Water use in the summer increases by 200% to 400% over winter water use.
- Average per person water use on Long Island is much higher than national average of 100 gallons per person per day. We use about 140 gallons per persons per day.
- Tap water is one of the cheapest commodities we buy today.
- The annual cost per person of L.I Aquifer Management Compact would be about the cost of one cup of premium coffee per year.
