New Jersey Imposes Additional Water Use Restrictions
The Star-Ledger reports that the New Jersey DEP imposed new water use restrictions yesterday in response to "a drought that has reached historic proportions." New Jersey residents are now banned from watering their lawns and washing cars in the driveway. The Department of Environmental Protection claims that eight of the last 12 months have been the driest on record. By this, we assume that they mean that July was the dryest July on record, for instance.
The article also points out that these water use restrictions are useless if they are not enforced: "A key aspect of the restrictions, Campbell said, will be getting local officials and police to enforce them. Campbell sent a letter Friday urging municipalities to renew their enforcement efforts. Under the drought restrictions, first issued in March, violators can be imprisoned for up to six months and/or fined up to $1,000."
The State of New Jersey has also produced a web site www.njdrought.org. It has some interesting information, including one stark picture of the Oak Ridge Reservoir, part of the Newark, NJ's water system.