Northern New Jersey Drought Watch: Randolph Issues Ban On Lawn Watering

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection continues its plea for citizens in northern New Jersey to watch their water usage, especially outdoors.

In an effort to help conserve water during the drought watch, which is continuing into the second month, Randolph Township has put a ban on any lawn watering. Any commercial or residential area utilizing public water in Randolph will first be warned, then penalized, if lawns are watered. This water ban supersedes Randolph's initial dictum that institutes an annual odd/even watering schedule from May through September.

Drought watches in northern New Jersey are relatively uncommon, but this is the second year in a row the NJ DEP issued a drought watch as a result of depleting water stores. The preceding drought watch in 2010 came perilously close to turning into a warning.

According to Steve Doughty, a research scientist with the NJ DEP, contrary to the adage, "April showers bring me flowers," this spring left these summer months with a notable water deficit. "July was a pretty big water surplus month, a blessing that prevented conditions now from being worse than they are but we're not out of it yet. It'll take abundant rainfall."

In the meantime, it's a good idea to conserve by keeping sprinklers and other inefficient plumbing fixtures from depleting water stores when the rain's trying to help refill them.

Photo credit: Angie Hong