Changes Coming In Times Moorestown Residents Can Water Their Lawn

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown residents will soon be asked to abide by a new set of standards to water their lawn.

An Administrative Consent Order (ACO) issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and approved by council on July 1 calls for the township to alter the way it imposes restrictions on water use by residents.

The matter was also discussed during the July 25 meeting. At that time, Township Manager Scott Carew proposed limit the hours in which lawns can be watered to between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., but received some push back from members of council.

During Monday night’s meeting, Carew amended his proposal to two periods, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

NJDEP suggests times early in the morning so the town can refill its water tanks for use the rest of the day, according to Utilities Manager L. Russell Trice. He also said commercial establishments are the biggest drain on the township’s water supply in this regard.

Councilwoman Stacey Jordan asked about the possibility of starting at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m, and Councilwoman Lisa Petriello suggested windows of 5 a.m.-8 a.m. or 6 a.m.-9 a.m. Carew said this is regulation impacts municipalities statewide, not just Moorestown.

Moorestown currently only imposes restrictions in the summer, which is a violation of a now-terminated Memorandum of Agreement between the township and NJDEP.

NJDEP is calling for the township to limit those restrictions to twice a week, all year long.

Previously, Carew proposed separating the township into three sections for water use. A tentative example of this is below:

• Sunday and Wednesday
• Monday and Thursday
• Tuesday and Friday

A fine amount for anyone not in compliance has not yet been determined, but it would be enforced by the zoning office.

Monday night’s discussion was held during the workshop session, and no official action was taken.