NJ American Water Asks Monmouth Co. Residents To Reduce Yard Watering

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — In the midst of this week's heat wave, New Jersey American Water is asking customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties to begin conserving water by watering their yards on odd/even days.

New Jersey American Water, which primarily provides the water to customers in Monmouth County, but also services part of Lakewood, issued the alert last Friday, July 15.

The heat wave in New Jersey will start Tuesday, with temps into the 100s, with "dangerously high" temperatures slated to linger in the Garden State through the weekend, forecasters said.

New Jersey American Water said it also had to make the request because of the increase in people staying in their summer homes along Monmouth and Ocean county beaches. 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.

“The hot and dry weather seems to be here to stay,” said Carmen Tierno, senior director of operations at New Jersey American Water. “Because of this region’s increase in population during the summer months, New Jersey American Water is urging customers to begin using an odd/even schedule for outdoor watering to potentially avoid more stringent summertime restrictions of water usage.”

Odd/even guidelines are:

• 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.)

Also, water your grass early or late in the day to minimize evaporation.

Exceptions are:

• 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