Toms River joins national water conservation drive

Before we reach the dog days of summer and risk parched reservoirs, Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher encourages township residents to pledge conservation - and maybe win prizes for the effort.

Throughout the month of April - Earth Month - individuals can enlist in the nationwide, non-profit Wyland Foundation Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation. Communities with the largest number of residents who commit to conserve water and reduce pollution are entered into competition for environmentally-friendly gifts.

This year's grand prize is a 2016 Toyota Prius. Additional prizes include a $1,000 shopping spree in a home improvement store, Greening Your Cleaning gift baskets by Earth Friendly Products, Toro XTRA SMART ECYXTRA landscape timers and wireless weather sensors, Cree dimmable LED bulbs, Avex Brazos Autoseal water bottles, and Waterpik EcoFlow showerheads.

The Mayor says it's simply applying common-sense methods to reduce water use, "such as taking shorter showers, running only full loads of dishes and laundry and fixing leaky water pipes."

The 2015 challenge attracted 2,900 U.S. cities, according to organizers. Entrants pledged to reduce water waste by 1,500,000,000 gallons, shrink landfill waste by 47,000,000 pounds, and keep some 141,000 pounds of hazardous waste from reaching watersheds.

Mayor Kelaher, who witnessed the effects of changing climate conditions on a sojourn to northern Scandinavia, sees benefits on several levels.

"As it has become increasingly clear, the value of water conservation has enormous benefits to local economies, the environment, and even our global climate. In heavily populated states like New Jersey, the benefits of conservation are incalculable," Kelaher said.

"By being mindful of water use, we not only benefit our state, we help the entire country."

Take the conservation pledge here.