Press Releases

Contact: Public Relations Department
Suffolk County Water Authority
PO Box 37
Oakdale NY 11769
(631) 563-0296

June 26, 2002
SCWA Launches Lawn Care And Watering AD Campaign

The Suffolk County Water Authority Board today launched an innovative, major lawn care and watering advertising campaign with a series of radio ads during the afternoon drive time.

According to SCWA CEO Stephen M. Jones, this will be an ongoing campaign throughout the summer that will encompass both print and radio ads. "Through this campaign, we plan to let our customers know how they can water more efficiently, improve the health of their lawns, and reduce the amount of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers they apply to their lawns," Jones said.

Over the past decade, as the installation of in-ground sprinkler systems has increased, some customers have experienced low water pressures, particularly in the early morning hours when many of the systems are programmed to begin lawn watering. "If you turned on every faucet in your home and flushed a few toilets all at the same time and then tried to take a shower, you'd have very little water pressure," Jones explained. "The water is there, but the size of the pipes in your home will only permit so much water to pass through. We have a similar situation with our system. We have an adequate supply of water, but everyone is asking for it at the same time."

For the SCWA, there were two choices -- raise water rates and make large monetary investments to undertake major construction projects to replace water mains with even larger mains, or change customers' lawn watering habits. According to SCWA Deputy CEO for Administration Michael Stevenson, "We met with turf care experts in researching this issue and found that many of our customers were actually doing more harm than good by watering for short periods every day. The solution was obvious. If we could get our customers to water less often but for longer periods of time, our early morning peak demand issue could be alleviated and our customers could have healthier lawns that require less chemicals and a better shower to boot."

Jones said, "This program fits hand-in-glove with our own organic lawn care studies and our promotion of organic lawn care techniques on our website. It's a win-win situation for our customers, the Water Authority, and the environment!"

Additional information regarding this program and the SCWA's unique partnerships with the Neighborhood Network and the Long Island Groundwater Research Institute at Stony Brook University can be found in the Special Programs section under the Education center.

The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public benefit corporation operating by virtue of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving about 80% of Suffolk's residents, it operates without taxing power on a non-profit basis.