Heat, drought forces Vineland to restrict water use

Deborah M. Marko, Vineland Daily Journal
·2 min read

VINELAND – Extreme heat plus a lack of rain is adding up to strict water use restrictions for City of Vineland Water Utility customers.

All 10 of the city’s pumping wells are running continuously to add more than 12.5 million gallons a day to the utility's distribution system, but this is not enough to meet demand, Vineland Municipal Utilities Director John Lillie said.

This is causing lower water pressure as well as supply and public safety concerns, Lillie said.

Should demand exceed the utility’s pumping capacity, customers could lose their water service and a major fire could “lead to fire trucks literally sucking a main dry,” Lillie said.

To help curtail demand, the utility is mandating the following water restrictions until pumping capacity is restored.

Outdoor water use is limited to Wednesday and Saturday for even-numbered addresses, and Thursday and Sunday for odd-numbered addresses for the following:

  • Car washing, pressure washing, and other non-landscape outdoor water uses.

  • Lawn watering with a hose or hose-end sprinkler.

  • Watering is restricted to 6 to 9 a.m. or 5 to 8 p.m. and is limited to 30 minutes per area on permitted days.

Automatic lawn irrigation systems must be set to comply with the two-day odd-even schedule and are restricted to run between midnight and 10 a.m.

Flowers and shrubs may be watered as needed with a hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Farmers, landscape nurseries, sod farms, golf courses, and car wash/pressure washing businesses are exempt, according to city officials.

Violators will get two written warnings and then fines kick in, starting at $100.

Anyone with questions should call the Municipal Utilities Customer Service office at 856-794-4021, or the Water Utility office at 856-794-4056.

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Deborah M. Marko covers breaking news, public safety, and education for The Daily Journal, Courier-Post and Burlington County Times. Got a story idea? Call 856-563-5256 or email dmarko@gannettnj.com. Follow on Twitter: @dmarko_dj Instagram: deb.marko.dj Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: Extreme weather prompts water restrictions in Vineland NJ