Government

Stage II Water Restrictions Lifted

Two-month ban on lawn watering on Mondays, alternate days ended Friday.

By James Kleimann
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September 7, 2012

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Midland Park, Wyckoff and Glen Rock are seeking $3 million in refunds on claims Ridgewood Water used revenue from ratepayers in the three towns to subsidize its municipal operating budget. The lawsuit also seeks to rescind the two rate hikes in recent years, which totaled 26 percent.

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Midland Park, Wyckoff and Glen Rock are seeking $3 million in refunds on claims Ridgewood Water used revenue from ratepayers in the three towns to subsidize its municipal operating budget. The lawsuit also seeks to rescind the two rate hikes in recent years, which totaled 26 percent.

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With the dog days of summer now behind us, Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert announced Friday that water restrictions have effectively been lifted.

The Stage II restrictions were enacted July 10 following weeks of drought, dropping water tanks to dangerously low levels, Ridgewood Water officials said.

The restrictions prohibited lawn irrigation on Mondays and limited homeowners to watering only on odd or even days, based on the property number.

"The purpose of this initiative was to reasonably limit water usage on a daily basis so as to avoid the high peak usage surges encountered in previous years when irrigation bans were put into effect," Gabbert said in a news release Friday.

The restrictions have been effective in conserving water "while allowing regular watering and maintenance of properties," Gabbert claimed. Officials reported compliance with Stage II restrictions this summer was the best in memory.

It's good news to utility officials, given that Ridgewood Water was fined nearly $40,000 for exceeding its water allocation in 2010, and may also be fined for exceedences in 2011. The utility is appealing the DEP's ruling.

A report also found the utilty lost 20 percent of its water supply in 2011, a total of 514 million gallons of water.

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Ridgewooder

11:51 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012

They should not have water restrictions but instead provide the infrastructure necessary to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water. This should include sufficient water pressure to run all my sprinkler zones at once without a detectable drop of water pressure in home. Yes, I would be willing to pay my share of any rate increase necessary to enact this.