Ho-Ho-Kus September 12, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Borough returns to twice-a-week watering schedule by Jennifer Crusco On Tuesday, Sept. 11, the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus returned to its regular watering schedule, which permits outdoor water use twice a week in each of the municipality’s three designated zones. Residents recently received a Reverse 911 message that alerted them to the change from the once-a-week watering plan that was instituted in July. “We were very pleased,” Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall said of the decision to return to the regular watering schedule. “The numbers were very encouraging and show that the efforts at conservation and at repairs from the last quarter have been reflected in much lower usage over July and August. We want to thank the residents for their cooperation and for pulling together to help with the water situation, and hope that going forward we won’t need to tighten the restrictions that far.” Automatic in-ground sprinkler systems may now be used between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. on watering days. Portable sprinkler use will be allowed between midnight and 10 a.m. or between 6 p.m. and midnight on watering days. Residents may wash their vehicles with a hand-held hose any day except for Monday. No outdoor watering of any kind is allowed on Mondays. Residents with automatic sprinklers are reminded to adjust their systems accordingly. In Area I, which is west of West Saddle River Road and south of Hollywood Avenue, lawn and garden watering are allowed on Thursday and Sunday. In Area II, which is west of Saddle River Road and north of Hollywood Avenue, lawn and garden watering are allowed on Wednesday and Saturday. Those in Area III, which is east of West Saddle River Road, may water their lawns and gardens on Tuesdays and Fridays. Water use has become an increasingly salient issue in Ho-Ho-Kus, as the borough has exceeded its pumping allocation in recent years, and has been fined for doing so. Ho-Ho-Kus has petitioned the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for an increase in the borough’s allocation, which now allows the town’s water utility to pump one million gallons per day. Borough officials acknowledge that there could be several reasons the municipality has been exceeding its water allocation. While instances of non-compliance with the lawn watering schedule have been cited, the borough’s water engineers recently reported that leaks in the system have also contributed to losses. At the last council meeting, Councilman/Water Commissioner Steve Shell reported that, since the July 15 Reverse 911 call, there had been a significant decrease in the amount of water the borough’s system had been pumping. The borough had anticipated a July savings of eight to nine million gallons as compared to July 2011. However, Shell reported that the savings reached 9.7 million gallons for July. He also said the borough was trending well for August, with 6.8 million fewer gallons pumped during the first 20 days of the month than in August 2011. Shell also reported that new leaks in the system had been detected, and many had already been repaired.