The Rockland County Legislature's Environmental Committee will meet on Wednesday, June 11th to discuss a local law proposed by Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe and Legislator Harriet Cornell to establish a county-wide water conservation program.
The Rockland County Water Conservation Act would establish reasonable, common sense non-emergency water use and waste restrictions. The focus is on lawn watering, which would be limited to non- consecutive days between the non-peak hours of 4:00 pm to 10:00 am. Wolfe is recommending that the law not apply to hand watering, the use of rain or pond water and included a clause to allow temporary exemptions for new plantings. Rain sensors would be required on automatic irrigation systems using potable water.
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"Thanks to United Water’s rate increase requests, many Rocklanders are facing the prospect of triple-digit increases in their annual cost of water," said Chairman Wolfe. "We can take a bold step by taking a county-wide approach to water conservation. This proposed law is easily adaptable and implements a demand-side solution to meeting Rockland’s water needs. These types of measures have proven successful in regions of the country where water supply is much more of an issue than in Rockland."
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Legislator Harriet Cornell, Chairwoman of the Environmental Committee, added, "Rockland's public is very environmentally conscious; residents and landscapers have been steadily moving towards plantings that require less water. Setting a date for a public hearing is to allow input from homeowners, landscapers, golf course managers on how best to conserve water. A Water Management Task Force to include community members will soon be implemented to look at all aspects of a comprehensive water plan for Rockland."
If the Environmental Committee votes in favor of the proposal, it will be referred to the full Legislature to determine a date for a public hearing.
The Environmental Committee meeting will meet on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the Legislature’s chambers, 11 New Hempstead Rd., New City, NY. Committee meetings held by the Rockland County Legislature are open to the public and attendance is encouraged. To obtain further information on this or any other committee agenda, please visit www.rocklandgov.com, click on County Legislature and follow link to Committee Agendas. All agendas are subject to change.
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