Practice 'Odd/Even Watering' In Mercer County To Conserve Supply, NJ American Water Asks

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey American Water is asking customers in Mercer County to conserve water in this current heat wave by alternating when they water their lawns and gardens.

The water supplier encourages customers to practice "odd/even watering" to avoid possible restrictions later.

“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.”

The company asked customers in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties to consider alternating days for outdoor watering.

"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 company said.

Here are the guidelines posted on NJ American Water's website:

• 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

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

NJ American Water asked Burlington and Ocean County customers to conserve water on July 15, as well.

For more information, click here.