TOMS RIVER, NJ – American Water, a major regional water service utility is now asking residents to cut back on watering amid a short-term drought and heat wave.
“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 company said today.
“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.