Suffolk County Water Authority eases up on appeal to stop watering lawns

The Suffolk County Water Authority said Tuesday it was easing an earlier appeal for customers to "refrain entirely from" watering their lawns amid dry conditions and heightened water usage.

The authority said in an email that conservation efforts had led to improved conditions since it declared a water alert last week.

"We are grateful for the steps taken to reduce usage during this time," the authority said in the email.

The water authority has asked people who choose to water their lawns to do so on a schedule: residences with odd-numbered street addresses on odd-numbered days, according to the email, with residents with even-numbered addresses watering on even-numbered days. 

The actions have come amid "abnormally dry" conditions on Long Island since the start of the year, the U.S. Drought Monitor said.

"We need our customers to take immediate action to reduce their water use," SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said in a July statement. "Water is a limited resource, especially during peak summer demand, and we need to ensure there’s enough available for critical needs like fire protection."

The water authority in July warned that customers could see "reduced water pressure at their homes or businesses" if water usage continued to remain too high. It said that low tank levels could increase risk of not having enough water pressure and stockpiles needed to combat a fire emergency.

To get the word out, staff knocked on doors in areas such as Kings Park, Selden and other communities where water resources have been taxed to inform residents about ways to conserve.

Even with the moderated appeal, the authority said Tuesday it’s "important we all remain vigilant" during the summer.

Several other water districts on Long Island also ask customers to water their lawns every other day or on an odd-even day schedule.

Some water districts, such as Riverhead, have seen improved water levels and have not faced issues this summer.

"Right now we are actually in a position to help out our neighboring water supplier if needed," said Frank Mancini, water district superintendent for Riverhead. 

A Nassau County ordinance only permits watering lawns every other day under the odd-even schedule, according to Liberty New York Water, which serves parts of southern and western Nassau County. Liberty also has guidelines for customers such as when to water.

"While we asked our customers to reduce water usage during the recent dry spell, we believe water conservation is best practice every day," Liberty New York Water director Richard Kern said in a statement. "These efforts helped us prevent any significant impact to water pressure during the extreme weather conditions."

The Town of Hempstead, which follows the odd-even schedule, has not imposed additional conservation efforts, officials said. As a standard practice, residents are not permitted to water between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The cooler weather in recent weeks has also led to reduced demand, officials said. 

With Tracy Tullis and Aidan Johnson