With NJ water restrictions a growing concern, please deactivate sprinklers with timers
It's no surprise that New Jersey has been exceptionally dry. So much so, there's a growing concern of increasing water restrictions statewide if the Garden State doesn't get some steady, beneficial rain soon.
Some parts of the state have seen occasional showers and storms over the past month or so. But those are just brief and not beneficial to the level we need it at. Pop-up showers and storms don't necessarily solve a long-term dry spell.
Even with that said, some isolated areas might've seen more of these types of showers or storms than others. It's great news for those of you that have since it's probably helping keep some of your lawns greener.
But the bigger picture is still the same. New Jersey has been exceptionally dry and in great need of steady, long-term rain. Hopefully, the forecast will move in our favor for this in the near future.
Because of New Jersey's ongoing situation, some parts of the state are officially under some sort of water restrictions. Whether voluntary or mandatory, it points to the current situation of how dry it's been.
And despite those occasional rain showers and pop-up thunderstorms, it won't do a whole lot to help replenish New Jersey's water sources. Now yes, any rain is welcome and will help somewhat, but at the current moment, a good soaking is what we need.
Overall, a good portion of New Jersey's residents seem to be following the guidelines of the state and are cutting back on their water usage. And there is one obvious way to tell who is cutting back and who isn't.
Is the lawn turning brown? If so, then thank you. That's exactly the kind of thing New Jerseyans need to be cutting back at right now during this dry spell. A brown, dry, and crunchy lawn might be painful to have, but it also shows who's doing their part to cut back and who's not.
Even lawns that are semi-green may indicate watering is only happening at a minimal rate. A prime example of this is when watering only happens every other day during an odd-even water restriction (An odd-even water restriction is when homeowners are only allowed to water on odd or even numbered days of the month, depending on their house number).
With that said, some lawns seem to remain lush and green. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the homeowner or business is bypassing water restrictions as it could indicate an area that saw rain recently from one of those pop-up showers or storms.
But if the majority of lawns are mostly brown and dry and only a few scattered around are green and healthy, that could be locations that are ignoring water restrictions. And even though some might be ignoring restrictions on purpose, it may be unintentional for others.
Now you might ask yourself, how can it be unintentional? Well, it could have to do with the way the lawn is watered in our automated world.
Many homeowners and businesses have sprinklers that are on timers and will go off on certain days at certain times, regardless of what else might be going on. It's the old saying of 'set it and forget it' that could be why those lawns remain healthy during exceptionally dry conditions when water restrictions are in place.
If you fall into this category, then don't take it personally. So many things we do nowadays are automated that we tend to forget about. Think about auto bill pay or direct deposit. Two very common things we don't give much thought to because they take care of themselves.
But with New Jersey stuck in this ongoing dry spell, it might be a good idea to rethink that timer on the sprinklers. Maybe switch it up to manual watering on days that are allowed and only give the lawn minimal water.
The nice thing about lawns is that they will come back. Once conditions improve, your lawn and landscape will thrive once again. Yes, we all hate the fact that almost everything appears dead right now, but it is what it is at the moment. For now, we should be conserving water for the things that matter most.
So please consider this a friendly PSA to take note of those automatic sprinklers. It may not feel good to let the lawn dry up, but it's better to do that for now than continue to waste water on something that'll come back on its own once we're out of this dry spell.
Want more proof of how dry it's been? Just check out how bone-dry Jeff Deminski's lawn has gotten.