Neighbors becoming water-use spies (That's what happens when prices aren't free to function)

The region's drought restrictions remain a mystery to most people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Few residents have read - or can understand - them, and few authorities are enforcing them. Still, in communities across the region, sprinkler spies already are diming out their scofflaw neighbors.

Despite the daunting bureaucratic jargon of the water restrictions - 2,545 words long in Pennsylvania; 3,961 in New Jersey - residents and law-enforcement authorities are starting to pay attention. The current spate of hot weather is prompting many to think of swimming pools and lawn care, and they want to know what they can and can't do.

Short version: You can't water your lawn, unless it's new sod or seed, and then only in the evening and early morning. Gardens can be watered, with certain restrictions. The question of filling pools is more complicated; in Pennsylvania, it is up to the local water company.

"We've had countless calls from people," said Tina Boor, business manager for the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority. "Most people have been pretty understanding."

Horsham is one town where filling pools is not allowed, in most cases. Portions of Delaware County are in the same boat. New Jerseyans, on the other hand, can "top off" pools that were partly drained for the winter; empty pools can be filled only in certain cases.

The alternative? Would-be swimmers must have the water trucked in - a job that will set them back at least $260, said Jeff Neamand, owner of AquaSun Pools in Doylestown.

Pool-supply companies, municipal officials, water companies, state officials - all report a steady stream of calls from people seeking information.

If they are acting on the information and using less water, however, it is hard to tell on a statewide basis. Pennsylvania does not track overall water usage, although Kristen Wolf, a Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman, said "anecdotally, we have heard some good numbers" from water companies.

In New Jersey, Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said water consumption was down about 5 percent. In March, Gov. McGreevey called for reductions of up to 30 percent.

Along with the flood of information seekers, local officials also are starting to experience the same phenomenon they saw during the drought of 1999: people calling to complain about their scofflaw neighbors. Enforcement has been limited.

Officials in 14 area communities, including Philadelphia, said they had not issued any tickets for violating water restrictions. Some said they had issued verbal warnings. Some said it was too early to see much lawn watering. Others said that although they welcomed information from neighbors, the tips did not always pan out.

"You have to be careful, because people sometimes have vendettas against each other," said Maryann Paradise, public-education officer for the Mount Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority.

In one case, a Mount Laurel resident called to say a neighbor was washing a car - a no-no in South Jersey. When officials responded to the scene, however, the ground wasn't even wet, Paradise said.

Even when the tip is valid, however, sometimes nothing gets done, said one South Jerseyan who tried to alert police about a lawn waterer.

"They said I would have to file a complaint," said Heidi Elsroad of the Marlton section of Evesham Township. "Well, I'm their neighbor. Of course I'm not going to do that."

In Philadelphia, officials contend water use should not be restricted because there is plenty of water in the Delaware River and the Schuylkill. City officials said they were negotiating with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Wolf, of the DEP, said the city had not filed a written request, which is required before an exemption can be granted.

In the meantime, restrictions remain in place for all of Southeastern Pennsylvania. But that doesn't mean everyone understands them.

In Horsham, Eileen Blank said she planned to top off her swimming pool next week with municipal water.

"They haven't said anything about not filling it," she said, during a visit to the Anthony & Sylvan pool-supply store in Abington. "I know it's a drought. I was wondering."

Boor, the water-authority official, said most residents were told they could not fill or top off their pools. Exceptions are made for some, such as those who had a new pool built and signed the contract before the restrictions were announced in mid-March, Boor said. If new pools are not filled with water immediately, the plaster doesn't cure properly.

Some of the confusion about water restrictions may be because the rules are so long. Responding to such concerns, Pennsylvania issued a news release Monday attempting to simplify the rules.

"If residents wash their vehicles at home, they should do so with buckets or by handheld hose equipped with an automatic shutoff nozzle for prerinse and rinse, not to exceed a total of two minutes spray time. Water use for vehicle washing is limited to odd street addresses on first and third [Saturdays] of the month, while people with even addresses or no street address can wash on the second and fourth [Saturdays] of the month."

Bob Wendelgass, Pennsylvania director of Clean Water Action, said there was an easier way.

"My solution," the environmentalist quipped, "is that I just never wash my car."

A water shortage simply means that the demand for water exceeds the supply. When the demand exceeds the supply, that means that the price is too low. The solution is to let the price rise so that supply and demand will be equal to each other. Water users would respond to higher prices by voluntarily reducing their use of water. Water suppliers would respond to higher prices by increasing the supply of water, such as by using desalination, which costs about $3 for 1,000 gallons.

Apparently, though, there are a lot of people who don't like the idea of free market pricing. Instead, they prefer the totalitarian method of having neighbors spy on each other, just like in the former Soviet Union. They make it illegal for people to water their lawns, wash their cars, and fill their swimming pools. They outlaw 3.5 gallon toilet tanks, and require people to use 1.6 gallon tanks. Totalitarians love these kinds of government controls on people's lives.

Even when the tip is valid, however, sometimes nothing gets done, said one South Jerseyan who tried to alert police about a lawn waterer.

"They said I would have to file a complaint," said Heidi Elsroad of the Marlton section of Evesham Township. "Well, I'm their neighbor. Of course I'm not going to do that."

What a piece of work this Heidi Elsroad is... She has no problem with making anonymous calls to rat out someone, but won't file a formal complaint because she's a coward at heart - one can only hope her neighbor reads this article and realizes how dangerous this woman truely is...

No doubt water should be subject to market forces. On the other hand, it's one of those substances everybody has to have on a daily minimum required basis or they die.

The real problem is inadequate preparation. The East Coast needs to build several hundred reservoirs to store up water for the recurring dry spells. Since this has not been done that means the people living there have been trying to purchase their water at less than the actual market price.

Now, where to find space for those reservoirs?!

"They said I would have to file a complaint," said Heidi Elsroad of the Marlton section of Evesham Township. "Well, I'm their neighbor. Of course I'm not going to do that."

. . .consider it done Heidi.

And in NJ you can water newly planted grass if it was planted by a commercial firm, and you can get your car washed in a public carwash, and you can have your house powerwashed by a powerwashing business - but you can not do any of these things on your own, as a private citizen...and government control marches on......

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