Residents Reminded to Conserve Water

It's summer, and that means mandatory water restrictions are in place for the township, according to Water Utility Superintendent Kevin Ryan.

"A conservation ordinance is in place and [is in] effect June 1 to Sept. 30 every year," Ryan told Patch. "This ordinance, No. 2004:01, was a requirement of our N.J. Department of Environmental Protection allocation permit."

The requirements are in effect each summer and are nothing out of the ordinary, according to Ryan, who said Parsippany's water situation appears normal at present.

"Our water levels are at the levels expected for this time of year," he said. "At this time I do not see any problems, however that can change in a heartbeat."

Ryan said situations including a prolonged power outage, major equipment failure or a lack precipitation for the rest of the summer could lead to a potentially catastrophic water distribution break.

He pointed to a recent crisis situation for N.J American Water, which serves municipalities in South Jersey. A bridge holding three large water mains collapsed at the company's Swimming River Water Treatment Plant in Monmouth County's Tintin Falls in late June.

The incident led to water outages for numerous communities, the imposition of a boil water advisory, a ban on outdoor water use and a request for residents to use water only for essential purposes, as reported by . In all, 22 municipalities were impacted by the collapses.

While Parsippany is fortunate that those measures so far have not been warranted in the township this summer, Ryan said his department remains on alert at all times.

"At this time of year we monitor all phase of our operation very closely," he said.

"Any mistakes can be disastrous."

These are the rules currently in place:

Residential Conservation Regulations

• Properties having even-numbered street addresses are permitted to water only on even- numbered days of the month from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Properties having odd-numbered street addresses are permitted to water only on odd- numbered days of the month from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• No watering is permitted on any Friday or on the 31st of the month. 

Non-Residential Conservation Regulations

• Non-residential lawn watering is permitted only on Mondays and Thursdays, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• No watering on any Friday or on the 31st day of the month. 

Additional Information

These conservation measures apply only to lawn watering. These regulations apply not only to properties that receive water provided by the township, but also to all supplies of water located within the township including but not limited to wells and other utilities and authorities. 

Newly installed sod or seed are exempted from these regulations for a period of two weeks upon notice of installation to the Water Utility.