Utility urging customers to avoid irrigation between 3 and 9 a.m., stagger usage
Staff reports
Extended hot, dry weather is increasing water demand in the Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) service area, particularly during the morning hours of 3 to 9 a.m. Demand from irrigation is approaching approximately 50% of the total system daily water demand.
BJWSA is reminding customers to follow the utility’s Irrigation Management Program to alleviate peaks and ensure public safety. Too many customers pulling water from the system at the same time can result in severe consequences such as water discoloration, boil water advisories, service outages and, in some cases, impact the performance of fire hydrants.
“The authority is working hard to increase the amount of water we can treat and expand storage capacity to meet ever-increasing demand,” BJWSA General Manager Verna Arnette said in a news release. “If residents will simply adjust their lawn watering schedule it will reduce early-morning demand buying us time to complete the expansion of our water treatment plant expected to come online next summer.”
- Avoid irrigation on Mondays and any day between the hours of 3 and 9 a.m. when demand is traditionally the highest.
- Adjust irrigation timers to water only three days per week, on a rotating schedule.
- Odd-numbered addresses are asked to irrigate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- Even-numbered addresses are asked to irrigate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between midnight and 3 a.m. or from 9 a.m. to noon.
The irrigation guidelines were developed in cooperation with Clemson Extension Service in order to ensure that lawns are being watered at appropriate times for health and growth. Further, allowing landscaping to dry during no-water days will encourage plants to grow deeper roots and reduce the occurance of fungal diseases.
The authority has several projects underway that will help address demand including doubling the treatment capacity of the Purrysburg water treatment plant to be able to produce 30 million gallons per day and constructing a 1.5 million water storage tank in Bluffton. These projects will be complete in 2025.
