Tighten Your Taps

With levels below normal in 80% of New Jersey's water supplies, the state issued new mandatory rules to help conserve water.

State officials banned all lawn watering and car washing Tuesday as the worsening drought put August on course to be the driest on record.

The continued dry conditions along with a failure of state residents and businesses to conserve enough water prompted the stricter water use rules, said Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"When we eased restrictions people lost sight of the message," Campbell said.

Residents may continue to water shrubs and trees on odd or even days, depending on their address.

Saying eight of the last 12 months have been the driest in since the state started keeping track in 1895, Campbell said the measure was being taken to ensure New Jersey has adequate water supplies in the upcoming months.

Businesses who use more than 100,000 gallons of water a day must submit a plan documenting water use, the kinds of restrictions they have implemented and whether further restrictions would be an economic hardship. Those businesses include power companies, golf courses and landscapers.

The reduced restrictions will be difficult for many business owners, said John Ferrie of the South Jersey Landscape Association.

"Our industry has no way out," Ferrie said. "We have no jobs without water."

Campbell also asked that police continue enforcing restrictions. Penalties include fines up to $1,000 and jail time.

The state relaxed water restrictions in June, allowing odd-even lawn watering and car washing after conservation efforts appeared to work.

However, the state received little more than an inch and a half of rain in July compared to four and a half inches.

The DEP said last week that it would make no changes in drought restrictions until at least after Labor Day. However, they were spurred to action by a decline in water supplies.

Campbell said he will be assessing the drought restrictions on a week-to-week basis.

Environmentalists said the drought restrictions were appropriate and responsible.

"We need to save water now," said Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. "A brown lawn will come back."

You can see the Department of Environmental Protection drought page here. Click here for the State climatologist.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP