Montville pools talent to conserve its water

Innovative program cuts per capita use - The citizens of Montville have proven that turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth, limiting your lawn sprinkling and capturing water in rain barrels pays off.

By conserving water in many small ways, the municipality of about 21,000 people has seen its water table at the Towaco Valley Aquifer rise 27 feet -- from 52 feet below ground to 25 feet since the drought of 2001.   Daily water consumption in Montville has dropped from 180 gallons per person to 142 gallons, while the population has risen about 6 percent in the last seven years and new office buildings and single-family homes continue to pop up.

"They know to stop and think before they use water," said Sue Marinello, the Montville resident who developed the school program "Every Drop Counts," which promotes water conservation in classroom, and ended up teaching the adults about it, too.

Way to go, Sue!  See Star Ledger.