Resident urges council to seek restrictions on unneccessary water use

VERNON - When Laura Blank sees the creek on Barrett Road go dry, she starts worrying about the wells. Blank appeared before the Vernon Township Council to ask the mayor and councilmen to consider asking Vernonites to start conserving water by limiting unnecessary use. Blank is married to Democrat Jeffrey Blank, who is campaigning for a seat on Vernon Township Council in the Nov. 8 general election After the Blank's well went dry several years ago, Laura began monitoring rainfall and groundwater levels at njdrought.org/status. The well has since been replaced at great expense, but she continues to monitor. For the past month, the Web site categorizes groundwater levels as "extremely dry," but the drought status is still given as "normal." "Our well generates only about one and a quarter gallons per minute, and I worry about our neighbors," Blank said. "Most of the wells in Barry Lakes are shallow, because for so long the neighborhood existed only as a summer vacation community. It's just a matter of days before the State asks people to begin conserving water." Mayor Ira Weiner said that Vernon typically follows State and County guidance before declaring an emergency warranting water rationing. At press time, The Advertiser-News learned that Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell is urging residents and visitors of New Jersey to practice water conservation, and the DEP's Forest Fire Service has restricted recreational fires in most of the state. "If existing trends continue we may need to invoke the state's non-emergency drought options. Clearly the adage ‘waste not, want not' applies here," said Campbell. Over the summer, New Jersey received below average rainfall throughout central and northern New Jersey. DEP is asking the public to take voluntary actions to conserve water, including the following: * Limit lawn watering to 20 minutes twice per week through the fall. * Fix leaky faucets and pipes in the home, along with turning off the faucet while brushing teeth and shaving. * Turn off faucets when not in use. * Install water conserving faucet and showerheads. * Run washing machines and dishwashers only when full.