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Suffolk County Water Authority urges East End residents to stop lawn watering amid drought
Summary
Suffolk County Water Authority reported record pumping and urged customers to stop lawn irrigation to preserve pressure for fire protection; the authority said June pumping hit 540,000 gallons per minute and irrigation across the service area reached 11.15 billion gallons.
Suffolk County Water Authority officials urged East End residents to immediately stop watering lawns as the region copes with severe drought and record demand, host Christine Samson reported Friday.
Samson said the authority reported June pumping of 540,000 gallons per minute and a collective irrigation and daily‑use volume of about 11,150,000,000 gallons for the month. The agency warned that storage tanks are not refilling quickly enough, causing lower water temperature and overnight pressure drops.
Samson reported that Suffolk County Water Authority Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz told officials the situation “requires an immediate response,” and she said he urged ‘‘all customers on the East End to adhere to water use restrictions so we can maintain pressure for fire protection.’’
What officials told the broadcast indicates the immediate concern is maintaining fire protection capacity during peak demand. The authority’s reported data show unusually high pumping and irrigation volumes, and the broadcaster said customers should follow posted or announced restrictions until conditions improve.
Next steps: The authority is urging compliance with restrictions and monitoring reservoir and tank levels; no new mandatory rationing measures were announced on-air.
Source: On‑air report by Christine Samson for LTV East End News (SEG 050–SEG 067).
