United Water is asking customers in northern New Jersey to conserve water for the next several days amid one of the driest summers months on record.
Reservoirs Lake Tappan and Oradell Lake, which serve 800,000 people in Bergen and Hudson counties, are only at 45-percent capacity, officials say, with barely an inch and a half of rainfall in August, making it one of the driest summer months in the area in over 90 years.
"This extended dry weather pattern is testing the limits of our supply," said senior operations director Tom Neilan.
Meanwhile, water is being distributed at a "very high rate." Over 3.9 billion gallons were delivered this month, nearly 400 million gallons more than in August last year.
The utility says if the demand for water continues to be high and no rain falls, the request could turn into a mandate.
United Water says the biggest water wasters are sprinkler systems; just one can use up the same amount of water as five households.
The utility is also asking customers to be aware of leaky facuets and toilets, cut down on shower time and use front-loading laundry machines. More conservation tips can be found at unitedwater.com.
