Water conservation is what you might call a first world problem.

In a third world nation, getting clean water might involve a hike of more than a mile through difficult terrain. But for us, it’s as simple as turning on a faucet. That doesn’t mean we should take it for granted, particularly during this long stretch of dry weather.

The National Weather Service says northern Illinois has had an average of about 3 inches less precipitation since January than previous year. Hebron has had only 10.35 inches of precipitation compared with the annual average of 15.55 inches.