SEPTEMBER 23, 2015, 2:51 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015, 5:48 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
State officials on Wednesday began urging North Jersey residents to conserve water with a very dry summer having come to a close and forecasts showing little rain in the near future.
The state’s designated “drought watch” for 12 counties including all of Bergen and Passaic comes about three weeks after some utilities began asking their customers to limit consumption.
The state Department of Environmental Protection singled out United Water for a “significant” decline in reservoir levels because the company has been relying on other water providers to help meet the demand of its 800,000 customers in the counties of Bergen and Hudson. The company’s three New Jersey reservoirs were at 48.6-percent capacity on Wednesday and have been pumping in water from other sources including the Wanaque Reservoir and the Passaic Valley Water Commission for much of the summer.
But United Water executives and their counterparts at other utilities said Wednesday that demand has dropped significantly with cooler autumnal temperatures arriving. The Wanaque Reservoir, which is at 51-percent capacity, is releasing 20 million gallons per day less this week than it was at the beginning of the month, a 16-percent drop.
“We’re getting out of peak season, so things are looking better despite the lack of rain,” said Rich Henning, a spokesman for United Water. “If we were at this point at the beginning of summer or the middle of summer, then there would be much more of a concern.”
Still, water companies have a lot of volume to make up. The counties of Bergen and Passaic have received only 5.7 inches of rain during the past 60 days, about 12 inches below normal, according to the National Weather Service.
In the meantime RW has imposed mandatory restrictions since June as in every previous year when no other water supplier has.
Even though all other water/utilities hadn’t imposed any restrictions all summer RW decided to further them to hand held Sept 4. Additionally, the other water utilities that only just yesterday requested “voluntary”restrictions are acknowledging the recent cooler fall weather is improving volumes slightly.
The RW service areas is not that unique from every other areas and towns of the state of NJ yet it happens year after year.
The age old problem — the RW system should be improved to handle the pumping service, infrastructure etc and is not truly a shortage of water every summer when the weather hasn’t even arrived.
Buy better pumps
Ridgewood is offering a free seminar on how to build an out house in your yard you will need a permit of course and the Historic society must approve the color. The class will be give right after CBD zoning change meeting which should be short because we already know how everyone is going to vote. I hear that some groups are going hand out free toilet paper with the 3 amigos faces on it.