Rockland County Officials Declare Stage II Water Emergency

As the weather continues to heat up, so too are Rockland County’s water issues.

Last week, County Executive Ed Day and Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert declared a Stage II Water Emergency for the county. As a result, mandatory limitations on water have been placed on both businesses and residents until further notice.

“Unfortunately, our weather has remained unusually hot and dry, and our water use has remained relatively high. Rainfall from March through June was 36 percent below average. We are now forced to put mandatory restrictions into place to reduce water use and preserve water to protect public health and safety,” said Day at a morning press conference.

Considering that about 3 million people visit urgent care centers each week, many of those visiting medical facilities this summer suffer from heat related injuries.

According to New City Patch, The entire state of New York has been issued a drought watch. The State Department of Environmental Conservation says the drought is due to abnormally low precipitation over a nine-month period.

Using a $250,000 grant, Rockland County officials and residents have been trying find ways to address the water issue. The county has been actively looking into water conservation as a long-term solution to such problems.

Some of the new restrictions being enforced include the rule that “water cannot be served in restaurants unless the patron requests it.” There is also a restriction on exporting bulk water supply outside of the county.

For residents, addresses ending in odd numbers can only water their lawns on Mondays and Thursdays. Properties ending with an even number will be allowed to water on Tuesdays and Fridays. This must occur between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. for automatic or in-ground systems and between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. for manual sprinklers.

For more information on the list of new water restrictions, visit the Rockland County government website.