BY WALTER ELLIOTT
SOUTH ORANGE – Village elders here have more than joined its water supplier New Jersey American Water and the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection in issuing water restrictions Nov. 14.
Village Mayor Sheena Collum, by issuing mandatory water restrictions that Thursday, became the first “Local Talk” area municipal executive to take that step in the light of a current 16-week rainfall drought.
Water reservoirs are averaging 46 percent below their normal levels of a normal autumn. One North Jersey reservoir was so low that a stone bridge resurfaced after a century underwater.
Although 1.8 inches of rain fell on the area – for the first time in a record 29 days – Nov. 9-10, it was a literal drop in the bucket compared from area reservoirs being some six inches behind in rainfall since July.
What is shaping up to be the warmest global summer in history, breaking last year’s record, is exacerbating the ongoing wildfires as near as Pompton Plains and Greenwood Lake N.Y.N.J. The 537 statewide fire outbreaks have given residents a Southern Californian experience of hazy and smoky mornings.
In South Orange:
- Outdoor lawn watering is down to two or three 30-minute sessions a week. Afternoon watering will evaporate faster, reducing absorption efficiency. Sprinklers should be set for nighttime and with a state-required water shutoff timer.
- Use a broom instead of a hose to sweep the sidewalk. Use rain barrels under a downspout to catch precipitation and mulch to conserve water.
- Water should not be left running while brushing teeth or washing dishes. Dishwashers and washing machines should only be used with a full load. Install narrower faucets and shower heads.
Some of South Orange’s restrictions are repeated in a DEP-supplied chart. That chart also urges people to reduce 65 percent of water use, including taking five-minute showers, raising power mower blade heights to three inches and using a commercial car wash.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson), that same Thursday, put Northeast New Jersey under a Drought Emergency and the rest of the state under a Drought Warning. The Garden State is also under a Red Flag Warning to deter anyone having an open flame for any reason.
New Jersey American Water, which serves South Orange, Irvington and parts of Maplewood and West Orange, imposed a Nov. 13 statewide mandatory conservation notice. NJAW covers much of the same steps as the DEP and South Orange but adds:
- Turn off and drain outdoor irrigation systems and do not use them until Spring.
- Find and fix any water leaks. Insulate exposed water lines.
- Use or consider using water and energy efficient appliances.
