Effective August 4, 1999, and until further notice, Maple Shade Township is requiring all water customers to conserve water consumption.  This request supersedes previous voluntary restrictions.  ALL USE OF WATER for outside purposes is limited to between the hours of 7 P.M. and 11 P.M. daily.  Washing of automobiles is permitted at this time; however, the use of water for washing pavement (e.g., driveways or sidewalks, etc.) is prohibited.

The implementation of Critical Area No. 2 regulations in our region by the State Department of Environmental Protection has placed limits on all municipalities drawing water from wells accessing the PRM aquifer.  In order to insure that Maple Shade meets this mandatory allocation limit, the Township Council is requiring all property owners and residents to restrict their water usage.  If consumption exceeds the allocation, the Township will have to purchase additional water from New Jersey American Water Company at a much higher cost.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projected that the PRM aquifer, once an artesian source with plus 30 feet of head is now averaging a minus 120 feet of head, meaning a loss of 150 feet of water supply.

In addition to this restriction, the following suggestions and conservation methods may provide utility users with great savings in both money & water.

REPAIR ALL LEAKS; locate & repair any & all leaking fixtures, faucets, & toilets. 

A simple leaking faucet, with a drip every second, can add up quickly & consume several hundred gallons of water each day !!!

ADJUST WATER FLOWS; set water flows to the minimum amount necessary to complete the task at hand.  Appliances can be adjusted to consume less, and still achieve proper operation.

? INSTALL FLOW RESTRICTORS IN BOTH SHOWERS & FAUCETS.
? INSTALL LOW FLOW TOILETS, OR ADD INSERTS TO TANK.

Older toilets can consume up to seven (7) gallons per flush; a family of four can easily use hundreds of gallons per day with normal flushing practices.  Newer toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush, which reduces water consumption to less than one fourth (23%) of the older designs. 

FULL LOADS!!! Use automatic washing machines & dishwashers only when completely full.

Note, these machines use less water than hand washing!!!

SHORTEN YOUR SHOWERS; showers and baths use thirty to fifty gallons each time.  Turn the flow down, or even off, then after you’re wet, soap, and turn it on to rinse.

TURN OFF THE WATER; brushing teeth, or shaving, then turn it back on to rinse.

CHILL water for drinking by keeping a water jug in the refrigerator or use ice.  Running the water until it’s cold wastes a lot of water and your money!!!

The average person consumes about seventy-five (75) gallons per day for indoor use.  A two (2) person household could then consume 13,500 gallons each quarter of the year. Careful usage of water outdoors might increase this by 30% to about 18,000 gallons of water per quarter for two persons.

If your consumption is significantly above this level, you should be able to conserve water or you may have a problem (unknown leak).