When Should Moorestown Residents Water Their Lawn?

Moorestown, NJ -- 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.

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.

At Monday night’s council meeting at town hall, Township Manager Scott Carew proposed separating the township into three sections for water use.

• Area 1: Sunday and Thursday;
• Area 2: Monday and Friday;
• Area 3: Tuesday and Saturday.

NJDEP also wants the township to limit the hours in which lawns can be watered, and Carew proposed limiting that time to between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

“That would make it easier to ensure everyone is in compliance,” Carew said. “It’s currently difficult to enforce the ordinance. This way, it would be easier to see if people are watering their lawn during the day, and bring them into compliance.”

He also said it would be easier to have the tanks replenished by the time people begin waking up and getting ready for work in the morning.

However, that plan may present problems for farmers, members of council pointed out.

“I understand the reasons for the restrictions,” said Deputy Mayor Victoria Napolitano, who didn’t agree with limiting the watering of lawns to between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. “Some people go to bed around 8 or 9. This seems to go beyond the pale.”

According to both Popular Mechanics and Scott’s Lawn Service, the best time to water grass is before 10 a.m., when there is less wind and hot sun, and the lawn has a full day to dry.

“Watering at night invites mildew and fungus but if you can't water in the morning aim for around 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.,” according to Scott’s Lawn Service. “In the hot afternoon, much of your water can be lost to wind and evaporation.”

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

The attached image is a Patch file photo