NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — With water levels well below normal at reservoirs in the region, a leading water utility company has issued a conservation mandate to its customers.
“We’re simply doing it to raise the consciousness of our customers so that they will do that thing that we know, which is save that precious resource — water,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water.
The region is experiencing the driest weather conditions it has seen in nearly 120 years. Just last week, New Jersey escalated a statewide drought watch to a drought warning, giving the state more control over public water supplies.
Without any significant rain in the forecast, these conditions are expected to drag on for the foreseeable future and it’ll take months of normal rainfall to fix it. State officials have held off on issuing a drought emergency, which would include additional restrictions on water usage.
McDonough says most of the adjustments people can make are simple: Make sure the laundry machine and dishwasher are full for each load, use a commercial car wash instead of your hose, shorten showers, and shut off water while brushing your teeth.
The conservation mandate from New Jersey American Water is more of a strongly worded suggestion than an actual mandate since the company has no enforcement authority. McDonough says they wanted to draw attention to the situation.