The purpose of this chapter is to limit, restrict and regulate the use of water by customers of the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood during periods of use and emergency, as hereinafter defined, in order to ensure public health and safety.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Glen Rock 6-12-1989 by Ord. No. 1143 (Ch. VI, Sec. 6-6, of the 1971 Revised General Ordinances); amended 5-9-1988 by Ord. No. 1125; 6-22-1992 by Ord. No. 1197; 9-28-1997 by Ord. No. 1291; 6-26-2013 by Ord. No. 1685; 6-14-2023 by Ord. No. 1903. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
Hose end irrigation systems and automatic irrigation devices.
An irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters.
Any period of water shortage or imminent water shortage caused by drought; lack or failure of proper pumping equipment, storage or other facilities; acts of God or public enemies; or excessive demand upon or use of water facilities or capacity.
A hose designed to be operated while being held in the hand and equipped with a nozzle that automatically shuts off when released.
The watering or sprinkling (including automatic sprinkling) of lawns, shrubs and gardens.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
A weather-based irrigation controller or soil moisture-based irrigation controller meeting criteria specified and labeled as being compliant under the United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Sense Program, meeting the guidelines prescribed by Ridgewood Water and approved by permit from Ridgewood Water.
That water obtained, delivered and/or supplied to any persons by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood or pumped from private wells for residential irrigation purposes.
The Village Manager is authorized to enforce the provisions of this chapter and, in their discretion, in consultation with the Director of Ridgewood Water, to determine and declare the existence and extent of an emergency with respect to the water supply of the Village of Ridgewood. The determination of the Village Manager shall apply to all communities served by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood, and notification of the emergency shall be promulgated to all such communities in the most reasonably expeditious manner. Interim emergency regulations may be adopted without notice by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood and shall apply to all communities serviced by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood and shall be promulgated in the most reasonably expeditious manner to all the communities.
Public notice of the declaration of an emergency and the determinations made by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood shall be made in the most expeditious manner by publication in the legal newspaper for the Village of Ridgewood and, for the other communities served by the Department of Water Supply, by posting in each municipal building and at such other public places as shall be designated by the Village Manager and the local administrators or Clerks of the serviced communities. Notice shall also be disseminated through the press and the public in general. The emergency shall remain in effect until declared at an end by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood.
The following irrigation schedule and water emergency regulations are hereby adopted to become effective as set forth herein:
A.
Stage II severe. Irrigation schedule, effective year-round:
(1)
All nongovernmental properties. Irrigation by a conventional irrigation system or device may only be done on Tuesday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses and Wednesday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses.
(2)
Governmental properties. Irrigation by a conventional irrigation system or device may only be done on Monday and Friday.
(3)
Irrigation using a hand-held hose or drip/micro irrigation system shall be allowed any day.
B.
The emergency stages shall be as follows:
Stage of Emergency Regulation | Drought Emergency Condition | User Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
III | Pending/Critical | Mandatory restriction of irrigation for all properties to the use of a hand-held hose on Tuesdays and Saturdays for properties with odd-numbered addresses and Wednesdays and Sundays for properties with even-numbered addresses. No irrigation of any kind shall be allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays. |
IV | Critical | Irrigation is prohibited at any time. Exceptions for irrigation using a hand-held hose may be allowed under conditions prescribed by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood. |
C.
Stage II, III and Stage IV emergency regulations shall become effective upon declaration of each stage by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood. The cleaning of cars, houses or property, filling of swimming pools or other outdoor water usage shall be prohibited during Stage III and Stage IV.
D.
Exceptions to the user restrictions shall be determined by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood or a Village of Ridgewood employee designated by the Village Manager. The request for an exception shall be submitted on forms prepared by Ridgewood Water and shall include any required documentation. Exceptions will automatically be denied for customers with bill balances beyond 120 days. Exceptions are subject to renewal annually and may be voided at any time due to an emergency. The exceptions may include the following:
(1)
Outdoor irrigation necessary for the establishment of newly sodded or seeded grass lawns or landscaping within the first 21 consecutive days of planting.
(2)
Irrigation of lawns or plantings with smart controllers, approved by permit from Ridgewood Water, and limited to the irrigation hours specified in Subsection E of this section.
(3)
Outdoor water use from rain harvesting (rain barrels, etc.), gray water, or reclaimed water. Use of gray or reclaimed water must have an approved NJPDES permit issued through the NJDEP.
(4)
Outdoor irrigation necessary for one day only where treatment with an application of chemicals requires immediate watering to preserve an existing landscape or to establish a new landscape.
(5)
Other outdoor water usage.
E.
Irrigation shall not be conducted between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day. Irrigation using automatic systems, including Smart Controllers, may only be used between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on the permissible day.
F.
All automatic irrigation systems shall be equipped with an operational automatic rain sensor device. Each rain sensor device shall be capable of and programmed to interrupt the automatic irrigation cycle when 1/4 inch of rain has fallen.
In accordance with N.J.A.C. 14:3-3A.1(a), violation of any provision of this chapter in such a manner as to produce disturbing effects on the service of the utility or other customers, the Village Department of Water Supply shall have the right and it is hereby empowered to cut off the supply of water to the premises and meter upon and from which such violation shall have taken place for such period or periods of time as shall be deemed necessary to secure compliance with all applicable terms of this chapter.
The enforcement of the provisions of this chapter shall be the responsibility of any officer and/or employee duly appointed by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood, deputized by the governing body of the Borough of Glen Rock to provide such enforcement in the Borough of Glen Rock.
It shall be unlawful and a violation hereof for any person to use water during the emergency period in violation of this chapter. Any person found to violate this chapter shall receive two warnings and, thereafter, violators are subject to the general penalty as set forth in § 225-9 of this chapter. There is established herein, however, a fine of $50 per violation, upon conviction of a violation.
A.
Maximum penalty. For violation of any provision of this chapter, the maximum penalty shall, upon conviction of a violation, be any combination of the following: a fine not exceeding $2,000, imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
Separate violations. Except as otherwise provided, every day in which a violation of any provision of this chapter or any other ordinance of the Borough exists shall constitute a separate violation.
C.
Application. The maximum penalty stated is not intended to state an appropriate penalty for every violation. Any lesser penalty, including a nominal penalty or no penalty at all, may be appropriate for a particular case or a particular violation.