Summer Rain Hasn't Offset Water Demand, Manchester Official Says

While it seems like it has been a rainy summer, the rainfall hasn’t been enough to offset a spike in water consumption by Manchester residents, township officials said Monday night.

The mandatory restrictions, announced Monday afternoon for residents who live in the eastern part of the township, are directed primarily at reducing outdoor water usage. They ban lawn and landscape watering of any kind between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., as well as setting odd-even usage days for residents and businesses.

Ginny Miller, a resident of the Renaissance development, asked the Township Council on Monday night why the restrictions had been put in place.

“We’ve had so much rain this summer,” she said.

Councilman Samuel Fusaro, who was presiding over the meeting, said a significant increase in water usage has outpaced replenishment by the rain, noting that the Manchester Township Water Utility, which serves the eastern sections of town, draws its supply from wells.

Those wells aren’t replenished by water collected in retention basins in communities such as Renaissance, he said, as those basins are designed to feed the water into the Toms River. The restrictions are necessary to maintain both water quality and water pressure, he said.

“We’ve been lucky to get this far into the summer,” Fusaro said. “We usually have water restrictions by late June or July.”

The restrictions will likely remain in place for the remainder of the summer, he said.

Residents were notified by NIXLE alert and through letters sent to media outlets late Monday afternoon about the restrictions, which apply to the parts of town served by the township water utility. That includes both commercial and residential properties in area of the township along Route 37, portions lying east of Route 37, and those east of the borough of Lakehurst and the Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering and Warfare Center.

Under the restrictions, properties with odd-numbered addresses can water on odd-numbered days, and even-numbered addresses can water on even days. No watering is permitted between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and no spot can be watered for more than 30 minutes at a time.

The restrictions do not apply to those whose water comes from private wells or who are served by other water companies, the letter states. New sod or newly seeded yards are exempt for 30 days, but must have a sign noting that it is new sod or seed, and the date it was sodded or seeded.

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