Message from the Village Manager Regarding Stage 4 Enforcement
I have received questions and concerns from several residents regarding the enforcement of Stage 4 restriction. There are ordinances that authorize specific staff in the Village to have the ability to enforce…..I think I mentioned in my E-Notice on Friday that based on Stage 4 and its seriousness, I authorized more staff members to have this capacity. I am hoping that the enhanced enforcement that we had this weekend and the coming days will be more effective than during Stage 2 restrictions. The only way a summons can be written is if the person sees the watering – unfortunately wetness around the area and having a green lawn do not cut it for writing a summons….so we have to be there at the right time. We now have a person dedicated to identifying violators between 4AM through 7AM – a time period that I do not think we were covering adequately…… we also have the RPD out around this time. Our Fire Department was making rounds over the weekend and actually shutting off the water in homes where automated sprinklers were in use if no one was home to shut the water off themselves. The Fire Department will also begin to issue summonses.
It is a bit early to share this news but it does seem to appear that the restrictions are having some impact. On average in August we used 10.2 million gallons per day….yesterday we used 7.2 million. Board of Ed properties as well as Village properties are all in compliance with the restrictions.
From a communications perspective, our first robo call early Friday afternoon was sent to 20,000 phones with 11,000 actually getting it…..we then did a second call in the evening. We do need to extend that list and the team is working on this. Our e-notice went out to about 4,000 email addresses – we have been emphasizing sign up. We also have posted the restrictions on the Village Facebook site, both Village websites (Ridgewood and Ridgewood Water) as well as both tv channels – but these are pull not push means of communicating. We also have posted the restrictions on the movable electronic sign on the west side. I am mentioning this because I think that there is no excuse for anyone not knowing that we are in Stage 4.
Best regards,
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
I fully support the heavy enforcement. However, the Manager’s message still does not explain why she won’t send out snail mail notices. Some residents don’t have land line phones, don’t watch cable tv, and don’t check the Village’s website or Facebook pages. What’s the big objection to sending out post cards?
Here’s a suggestion. Why doesn’t the Village post a list of repeat offenders on their website. That’ll stop the problem.
HANG ‘EM HIGH!
So what do some get from this announcement?
Alter your automated sprinklers to go off earlier, say, 2am.
“The only way a summons can be written is if the person sees the watering – unfortunately wetness around the area and having a green lawn do not cut it for writing a summons….so we have to be there at the right time.” So she just told everyone to run their sprinklers until 4am so they can’t get caught in the act. They should at least issue warnings to homes with green lawns and wetness and put them on a watch list. They can also inspect their sprinkler timers to check the settings.
The PD is heavily patrolling prior to 4 AM. You will get caught.
I hope the PD catch a few of these slick pre-4am deviants, but I doubt it. Remember, it’s pitch dark and it’s typically a time when police patrols are light due to paperwork, napping, etc.
They should salt the lawns of the offenders, so they wear the shame for years to come.
Watch list? Publish repeat offenders? Come on. Gadfly stuff. If they write tickets and enforce Stage 4, well done and important at this time. But take a deep breath folks. If any neighborhood watch types show up on my property at 4am, they will see the wet teeth of my dog.
Send info on installing your own “well water” and then post your own sign to confirm.
Lack of compliance to water restrictions is due to NOT HAVING RESPECT for the lawful mandatory stages Beginning with Stage 1 every year. Offending neighbors CHOOSE to ignore the restrictions, even when reminded several times by other neighbors when they see them breaking the law, and explaining to them the reasons of having the restrictions. By doing so, those offenders thus send the message to everyone that they have NO RESPECT for their neighbors, or anyone else, or the towns law. The offenders are showing NO CONSIDERATION for the public health and safety (firefighting) of the community. The offenders only care about themselves.
* So, YES, we DO have a serious community problem, or we would NOT Be in Stage 4 Restriction now! Frankly, if someone because of their selfishness doesn’t show respect to me and others, by consistantly breaking the law, I Do Not respect them. Those Watering Offenders DO DESERVE ALL THE SUMMONSES THEY EARNED! The fines should be heafty from the start, not baby steps. Crack down on them with an impact amount that hits their wallet. That would curb and teach offenders a good lesson. Thank you and the same to you.
Installing a well really only insulates you from water restrictions. Ridgewood Water can only enforce restrictions on those that draw directly from it. A private well still draws water from the dwindling supplies found in the ground, which is the same place Ridgewood Water gets it from. You are therefore off-the-hook, legally, but you are still drawing from the very same scarce resources as everyone else. But, if you really want that perfect green lawn, go right ahead.
Lets see what fines the Rdgewood Municipal Court levels on these offenders. The last time this happen the judge dismissed these violations.
12:05pm: Please relax. Try decaf. You’ll live longer. This isn’t about respect. Pretty confident that I respect the PD and FD a lot more than you do. But I don’t respect bloggers lecturing me on my civic duty. I did turn my sprinkler off when the notice came out. I have a small home and very little to worry about. But let’s not form the anonymous lynch mob just yet. Its like the earlier post, who wanted to “publish the names of those violators.” Come on.
Everybody talks about lawns but that’s not all there is to it. I invested thousands of dollars in nice plantings and would be very unhappy if it all died. (Yes, I am following the regulations.)
3:40 pm & 10:10am (the same?) -Re read the post. It IS about the water Offenders Not Having Respect for the Restrictions, Ignoring the mandatory rules from Stage 1, thru Stage 2 and into Stage 4. Saw them Every Day and Night. Many were aware and didn’t care. Lecturing? If the shoe fits —. Those actions affect everyone else in All 4 towns. Pat yourself on the back for complying with Stage 4, otherwise you’d get caught. Who wouldn’t respect the PD and FD. Lynch mob? Really now. VOR is handling things – I can appreciate their pro-active approach on enforcement of violators.
Any plans on the RPD or Village to move against illegal concrete planters outside restaurants?
Declan – You are assuming that the restrictions are due to lack of water and they are not. Think . . . why don’t other towns have these drastic restrictions????? Because there IS water available (not that we need to waste it, though).
The restrictions are due to Ridgewood’s inadequate storage facilities and/or inadequate ability to pump enough water in times of high demand. A private well does NOT impact the inadequate infrastructure that makes these restrictions necessary. Private wells do NOT draw down the water supply in the storage tanks nor do the impact the ability of Ridgewood Water to supply the masses during high demand. And many of the private wells around Ridgewood are drawing from the very shallowest portions of the Brunswick Aquifer. Municipal wells in this area are generally about 350-400′ deep (I seem to remember that Ridgewood’s are in this range but I can’t verify it. Hawthorne’s well depths are published and are in this range).
I’m a strong advocate of water conservation (do you turn off your faucets when you brush your teeth? how about when you’re soaping up in the shower? run only full loads of dishes/laundry? wash my car on the lawn, etc) but I wish people would get their facts straight.
How about enforcing immigration laws is strictly as this water ordinance?
I hate to admit it but I watered my lawn by accident last night. I have been complying with restrictions all along but was away on vacation when the hand watering only went into effect and didn’t turn my system off. It was a Tuesday and so my irrigation system came on at 4am. It’s turned off now but I am so embarrassed.
Them same jerks that water 7 days a week have ignored all the restrictions and caused us to be at stage 4. There’s a particular house on the 300 block of beechwood that is so lush that it looks like the Brooklyn botanical garden. No worries about Graydon being shut down go swim on beechwood there a lake in the street there every morning.
“There’s a particular house on the 300 block of beechwood that is so lush that it looks like the Brooklyn botanical garden.”
Hogwash.