WATERING POLICY
Section 7.C of the Hampstead Area Water Company, Inc.’s tariff states “When necessary to conserve supply or to maintain pressure, the Company may restrict or prohibit the use of hand hoses, lawn sprinklers, and underground irrigation systems.”
To encourage conservation and prevent excessive use of water the Hampstead Area Water Company has adopted a lawn watering policy that features an odd/even watering schedule, as well as a ban on watering between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Although we are restricting irrigation and lawn sprinkler usage to every other day, hand-held hoses and watering cans will be permitted for use in your vegetable and flower gardens on any day.
Even when water supply is adequate, conservation is simply a wise use of a precious resource. Conservation can contribute to a healthy environment, reduce your water bill and ensure an adequate water supply for years.
Check Your Calendar - Water only on odd or even days
If your home or business address ends in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8) you may water only on even numbered calendar dates. Your address would be even if you lived on 134 Main Street.
Likewise if your home or business address ends in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) you may water only on odd numbered calendar dates. Your address would be odd if you lived on 135 Main Street.
Check Your Clock
Water only before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
Lawn watering is permitted only before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Automatic sprinkling systems must be set to comply with both the odd/even schedule and the allowed hours for lawn watering.
Watering during the heat of the day requires as much as four times the water to get the same benefits as watering in the early morning or evening hours.
The odd/even lawn watering policy is a key element of Hampstead Area Water Company’s water conservation program and it applies only to lawns. In one hour, one sprinkler can use as much water as the rest of your household uses in one day. Lawn watering is, therefore, the largest single contributor to overuse of water.
Please be advised that the odd/even watering schedule and the 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. watering ban will be enforced and will be the ongoing policy into the future. First time violators will receive a written notice for failure to comply and further violations will result in disconnection of your water and a fee for reconnection. For more information please call our office at 603-362-4299.
Christine Lewis Morse
Hampstead Area Water Company, Inc.
Vice President
