N.J. American Water adds 5 more counties to odd/even watering request

By
ROI-NJ Staff
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In an effort to adjust to increased water use during the heat wave that is hitting the state this week, New Jersey American Water is asking residents and businesses in five Central Jersey counties to voluntarily adopt odd/even watering restrictions.

NJAW, the largest water utility in the state, serves approximately 2.8 million customers throughout New Jersey. It is asking residents in these counties to begin conservation efforts:

  • Hunterdon;
  • Mercer;
  • Middlesex;
  • Somerset;
  • Union.

This is in addition to the voluntary odd/even conservation request issued in the company’s Monmouth and Ocean county service areas last Friday.

“Our systems are currently operating normally at expected capacity, but we are seeing a steep increase in demands across these counties,” said Tom Shroba, vice president of operations at New Jersey American Water. “Adopting an odd/even schedule for outdoor watering will have minimal impacts on the individual customer, but will provide a significant relief in demand on our source of supply.”

Practicing odd/even watering now will help the company manage a finite supply of water, and New Jersey American Water customers will still be able to maintain their lawns and gardens while saving some money on their water bills. The guidelines are provided below:

  • Outdoor water use on odd-numbered days of the month if your street address is an odd number (i.e., 23 Oak St., 7 Maple Ave.);
  • Outdoor water use on even-numbered days of the month if your street address is an even number (i.e., 6 Oak St., 354 Maple Ave.);
  • Water early or late in the day to minimize evaporation.

There are exceptions:

  • Watering of new sod or seed if daily watering is required (Note: it is recommended that any planting of new sod or seed that has not already taken place be delayed until the fall);
  • Use of private wells for irrigation;
  • Commercial uses of outdoor water, such as for nurseries, farm stands, power washing, plumbing, athletic fields and car washes;
  • Watering of athletic fields.

Additional tips and information are available here.