From staff reports
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) is asking customers to follow the utility’s Irrigation Management Program to help alleviate usage during peak hours and ensure public safety, according to a release from BJWSA.
This request comes as spring landscaping increases demand on the water system during peak morning hours.
Morning hours are often the preferred time for irrigation systems to be set to activate, however too many customers pulling water from the system at the same time can be problematic and can cause issues such as boil water advisories, water discoloration, service outages and in some cases poor performance of fire hydrants in emergency situations.
“The authority is working hard to increase treatment capacity and storage in order to meet ever-increasing demand,” BJWSA General Manager Verna Arnette said in a news release. “If enough residents simply adjust their lawn watering schedule, it will help mitigate early-morning demand in time for us to complete the expansion of our water treatment plant expected to come online next summer.”
BJWSA has asked for customers to 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, while even-numbered addresses are asked to irrigate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Customers are asked to avoid irrigation on Mondays or any day between the hours of 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. when demand is traditionally the highest.
The irrigation guidelines were developed in cooperation with Clemson Extension Service to ensure that lawns are being watered at appropriate times for health and growth.
Allowing landscaping to dry during no-water days will encourage plants to grow deeper roots and reduce the occurrence of fungal diseases.
BJWSA has several projects underway that will help to increase the demand, including doubling treatment capacity of the Purrysburg Water Treatment Plant to be able to produce 30 million gallons per day and building a 1.5-million-gallon water storage tank in Bluffton, but these projects won’t be complete until 2025, according to the release.
