Suffolk County Water Authority lifts alert over usage

Low water supply conditions that led to a series of warnings over the summer — including imploring customers not to water their lawns — have improved, causing the Suffolk County Water Authority to lift the alert Wednesday.

The authority, which serves more than 1 million residents, issued a Stage 1 water alert in late July, advising customers that high water use, little rain and hot temperatures had led to "dangerously low" water levels in some of its storage tanks.

Depleted levels in the tanks could cause lower water pressure, the authority said, possibly hindering firefighting efforts. Customers were asked to conserve water and avoid nonessential water use, such as car washing.

Initially there was little reduction in water use, and in August the SCWA issued a second warning, urging property owners to stop watering their lawns altogether.

Eventually customers began "cutting back on lawn irrigation and other nonessential use, which played a key role in stabilizing demand," according to the authority's announcement Wednesday.

"We are grateful to our customers for taking this alert seriously and reducing their water usage," SCWA chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said in a statement. "This collective effort ensured that we could maintain system reliability during one of the most challenging stretches of the summer."

The water authority is still asking customers to abide by the odd/even lawn watering rule — odd-number houses water on odd-number days; even numbers on even days. "This schedule significantly reduces peak demand and promotes healthier lawns by preventing overwatering," the authority said in its release.

The authority also asked customers to "remain mindful of their use of water in the weeks ahead," as fall weather conditions can be "unpredictable."

Though recent temperatures in the region have been unseasonably cool, summer heat is lingering into fall in much of the United States, according to research by the nonprofit Climate Central.

In late August, Nassau and Suffolk counties were placed under a state drought watch, which is the least severe of four levels of drought advisories.

On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul added 30 counties to the drought watch list, which now includes nearly the whole state. "With the expansion to 50 counties now under a drought watch, we’re strongly encouraging everyone to do what they can to conserve water," Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a statement.