44 Clinton Street, Greenville, PA  16125 | Phone: (724) 588-4340 | After-hours Emergency: (724) 815-1518

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Using Water Efficiently

Fresh clean drinking water is yours to use whenever you need it. The Greenville Water Authority serves the Greenville Borough and surrounding Townships with an abundant supply of water and the GMWA has sufficient pumping, storage and distribution capacity to meet the water needs for all of the GMWA customers. GMWA customers may use all the water they want, however we encourage you to use it wisely. Here are a few tips you can do to prevent water waste.

  1. Check faucets and pipes for leaks.Even the smallest drip from a faucet can waste 20 or more gallons a day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds.

  2. Check your toilets for leaks.Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak.

  3. Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush.There is no need to keep water pouring down the drain. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.

  4. Use your automatic dishwasher and your automatic washing machine only for full loads.

  5. Water your lawn only when it needs it.A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, turn on the sprinkler.

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FUN FACTS FOR KIDS

  • Did you know that our bodies are made up of 65% water. 

  • Our world's surface is two-thirds covered in water.  Look at a map to see the seas and oceans that cover our planet.  Other bodies of water are lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and canals. 

  • Clouds and rain contain water.

  • 80% of the human brain is water.

  • There would be no life on Earth if we did not have water.

  • Life first started in water.

  • People and animals all need water in order to live.  Humans can survive for weeks without food but only a few days without water.

  • Water is made up of a mixture of Hydrogen and Oxygen.

  • The chemical name for water is H(2)O - which represents two Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom.

  • Water takes on three different forms:
    1.)  Solid - frost , snow, ice.
    2.)  Liquid - rain, lakes, oceans, streams, ponds and rivers.
    3.)  Gas - water vapor.

  • Temperature changes water's three forms:
    1.)  Heat - in very hot climates the sun causes water to evaporate and change into vapor. 
    2.)  Cool - when the weather cools down, it causes the vapor to turn into rain.
    3.)  Cold - in very cold conditions, the water freezes and changes into a solid.

  • Foods contain water.

  • We lose water from our bodies all the time through breathing, sweating and when we go to the toilet.  Our water is replaced when we drink and eat.

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Information About Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.  Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.  Greenville Water Authority takes steps to reduce the potential for lead to leach from your pipes into the water. This is accomplished by adding a corrosion inhibitor to the water leaving our treatment facility. However, we cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.  When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.  If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.  

The PA DEP requires GWA to test for lead and copper every three years. GWA tested twenty-one homes in 2019. Lead was not detected in any of the samples. For more details on these results, see our annual water quality report found here.