Heat Wave Driving High Water Demands
CAMDEN, N.J. – JULY 21, 2022 – Given the recent consecutive days of hot, dry weather in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, New Jersey American Water is asking that customers in this region restrict their outdoor water use to odd/even days until further notice to help ease the demand on water supplies.
“The recent extreme heat wave has prompted customers to increase their water usage significantly over the last week, and while we did previously request voluntary odd/even outdoor watering, we are continuing to see significant demands on the system that now require us to make this a mandatory order,” stated Carmen Tierno, senior director of Operations. “We are putting this restriction in place to support our ability to continue to provide water and fire protection services to our customers.”
Customers are being notified via the company’s emergency notification system, alerting them to practice odd/even watering now to help the company manage a finite supply of water. The guidelines are provided below:
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.)
- 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
Additional tips and information on wise water use are available on New Jersey American Water’s website at www.newjerseyamwater.com under Water and Wastewater Information.
The company will issue a follow up communication when this restriction is able to be lifted. Updates are also available on the website at www.newjerseyamwater.com, under Alerts.
About New Jersey American Water
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million people. For more information, visit www.newjerseyamwater.com and follow New Jersey American Water on Twitter and Facebook.
About American Water
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com. Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Chelsea Kulp
External Affairs Manager