The worsening drought forces a second New Jersey utility to issue mandatory water restrictions.
Trenton Water Works is asking customers to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth, take shorter showers and only run the washing machine when it is fully loaded.
“We’re probably one of the largest water systems in the United States,” said Michael Walker, director of communications and public outreach for the City of Trenton’s Department of Water and Sewer, which operates Trenton Water Works. “We serve five cities and we just want to make sure drinking water is used for essential purposes.”
Walker said Trenton Water Works gets all its water from the Delaware River, but because of the drought the river is 8 feet lower than normal, which translates to millions of gallons of water unavailable to customers.
“We’ve had high temperatures, we’ve had very little rain and the state moved very quickly to issue the drought warning,” Walker said.
Johnny Blanco, a homeowner in Trenton, is among the 217,000 consumers affected by the restrictions at Trenton Water Works. He said he uses the least amount of water when washing dishes by hand, and he only waters his plant once a month.
“I wish everyone would work together a little more and save water,” Blanco said. “We are very aware of it. But I don’t know if everyone thinks the same about it.”
New Jersey American Water issued a mandatory conservation notice Wednesday by requiring customers to turn off their sprinklers.
These restrictions go a step further than New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy asked residents to voluntarily conserve water.
“Local water utilities, depending on their region and circumstances, may still take more stringent measures to maintain local water supplies,” said Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Murphy said if conditions don’t improve, the state may have to declare a drought emergency, but that outcome can be avoided if everyone conserves water. He said the dry conditions have led to a record wildfire season.
“The numbers are, frankly, staggering,” Murphy said. “Since the beginning of October, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 fires. To put that into context, that’s 500 more fires than we saw in the exact same period last year, which in other words means an increase of 1,300%. “
Blanco hopes that Mother Nature will cooperate so that life can return to normal.
“It was a little rainy a few days ago,” Blanco said. “We were happy with it. But it wasn’t much.”
Madeleine Wright
