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“We appreciate the efforts of our residents and businesses who cooperated with the water use restrictions and helped get us through this hot, dry period,” said Day on Thursday. “We ask everyone to continue to use water carefully and conserve whenever possible.”
The restrictions, which mainly focused on outdoor water use, were enacted when a prolonged dry spell threatened the Ramapo River well fields that provides up to 20 percent of Rockland’s water.
During the summer, 10 to 20 percent of county water comes from the Ramapo River Well Field, 40 percent from Lake DeForest, and four percent from the lakes at Letchworth; the remaining 46 percent of water comes from system wells, according to Day.
Moderate rainfall over the past two months along with declining water use caused by cooler temperatures as the summer ends have alleviated the water emergency declared by Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert on July 21, Day said.
Outdoor water use is expected to begin dropping naturally as lawns become dormant for the year and pools are closed.
“We continue to track both rainfall and water resources on a daily basis. Should the need arise, we will be ready to reinstate restrictions to preserve water for domestic use and fire protection. We are hopeful that further restrictions won’t be needed,” said Ruppert.
For more information, call 845-364-2608 or visit the Health Department’s webpage at www.rocklandgov.com/health
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