Water Company Calls For Voluntary Restrictions

New Jersey American Water, the largest supplier of water in Monmouth County, is asking residents to voluntarily adopt an alternating water use schedule. 

The water company in a release Thursday said that while the water supply in the county has remained steady, the number of residents has vastly increased, putting greater demand on the system.

“Over the last 100 years, the population in Monmouth County has increased from about 8,000 to more than 800,000,’’Steve Schmitt, a company vice president, said in the release. “But the amount of available water has remained essentially the same.’’

Last year, Monmouth County was sent into a state of emergency when three of the company’s water mains collapsed at the Swimming River Treatment Plant – on the boundary lines of Colts Neck and Middletown.

NJ American’s guidelines for odd/even watering 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 on even-numbered days of the month if your street address is an even number (i.e., 6 Oak St., 354 Maple Ave.)

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