Despite the constant threat of rain and some brief sprinkles, the United States Drought Monitor confirmed last week that “moderate drought” has hit the South Fork, a step up in classification from “abnormally dry.” The next step is “severe drought.”
Adina Beedenbender, secretary to the board at the Suffolk County Water Authority, said in an email that “Residents have pumped 25 percent more water from the aquifer than the previous five years through May.” The trend continued through June, because of irrigation demands.
Ben Gregor, who with his family has run Gregor Well Drilling of Hampton Bays since 1974, has a relationship with the water table unlike most, and says there is a noticeable difference. “Over the last two years, the water table is down anywhere from two feet to 18 inches, would be my educated guess,” he said in a phone call. “It’s due more to usage from the influx of people than drought. We’re pumping more than we’re able to recharge.”
It’s early in the year to be in a drought. According to the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Suffolk received only 1.45 inches of rain in May, the third lowest total for that month in 50 years. That we’re experiencing drought conditions this early in the season caused the water authority to issue a water advisory for Southampton Town on June 12. “We have taken these measures in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sole source aquifer that provides 100% of Long Island’s drinking water,” read a message on the S.C.W.A. website, explaining the move.
In 2022, Suffolk County also endured drought conditions, but not until early August.
While usage can be controlled, without rain, the aquifer cannot replenish. “Precipitation is the only natural means by which water enters Long Island’s aquifers,” according to the Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection.
The county water authority, which has no enforcement power, is asking homeowners to refrain from daily watering. Instead, they should water corresponding to their house number. If it’s odd, water on odd days only; if it’s even, water on even days. Peak demand hits around 6 a.m. daily, when sprinklers, on a set schedule, spurt awake. Watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., especially during the hot summer months, is discouraged, as much of the water is lost to evaporation.
To encourage better watering practices, the authority is offering up to $150 in credits for homeowners to install a “smart irrigation” controller. These controllers prevent the waste created when sprinklers shoot water into a rainstorm, or onto an already saturated lawn the day after heavy rains. (They don’t help with the improper installation of irrigation systems, however. For example, no smart meter can save water wasted on asphalt.)
“You want to reduce water on the hardscape — your patio, your driveway, sidewalks, and the road. No matter how much you water them, they don’t grow,” said Mike Dwyer of the Irrigation Association of New York.
If incentives aren’t enough, the county water authority is adding a touch of fear to its messaging, reminding residents that the fire department draws the water in their fire hydrants from the same wells they use to water lawns. If those wells run dry to service green lawns, charred houses could be a consequence. “This irrigation demand leads to lower than normal water storage levels in the water storage tanks, and may lead to localized low pressure,” wrote Ms. Beedenbender.
“The message is to put in a well-designed irrigation system,” said Mr. Dwyer. “Separate lawn from shrub areas. Shrubs only need to be watered once or twice a week once established.”
“Most of the time, people misuse their irrigation,” said Edwina von Gal, founder of the Perfect Earth Project, in a phone call. “In most cases we shouldn’t have to irrigate so much if the right plant is in the right place.” Soil health and root growth is key, she said. “If plants or even turf lawn have deep roots, they can be quite resilient.” Part of the problem she said, is that most people begin watering their lawns too early in the season.
“If you start watering early in spring when there’s adequate moisture in the ground, roots don’t grow down. They should be pushing down, looking for more water. If the water is up, then they have no reason to use their energy to go down, and they become vulnerable. If people need to water daily, it’s because their grass has no roots.”
Letting your irrigation service set the clock on the system is a bad idea, she said. “It should be the person who is responsible for the health of your plants.” She compared plants’ inability to dry out, to spending the entire summer in a wet bathing suit. “Then your lawn guy comes and tells you there are fungus problems and he’s going to sell you fungicide. It’s a business model. Everyone wants to set it and forget it,” she said of irrigation timers, “but that’s the guaranteed wet bathing suit approach.”
“Water seldom and water deep,” said Ms. von Gal. “Think like rain.”
