Water Woes: Saratoga Springs Asks Residents to Reduce Water Usage

Are you planning on running your sprinkler every day or washing your car this month? If so, then the City of Saratoga Springs is asking you to reconsider. 

The city is implementing voluntary water restrictions on outdoor watering due to increased strain on the water system, lower than average rain and inadequate rain forecasted in the future. The public works department said the restriction was a precautionary measure to decrease water usage. 

Under the restrictions, residents are asked to only run water on landscaping every other day based on their house numbers — with odd numbered houses watering on odd numbered days and even numbered houses watering on even numbered days. For example, someone who lives at house number 201 would water on August 13, 15, 17, 19, etc. — while some at 210 would water on August 12, 14, 16, 18, etc.

In addition, the city is asking all residents not to water or wash cars between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. due to increased evaporation rates which the city says can represent a loss of 30%. 

The Department of Public Works said the restrictions do not apply to handheld watering devices, however, they did ask residents to ensure water remains on lawns and gardens and not on paved areas. 

“Help from residents to conserve water will go a long way to preserve the reservoir levels until it’s replenished with some heavy rainstorms,” Department of Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall said.  “This is a precautionary measure to reduce the volume of water being used for landscape watering and we appreciate the public’s cooperation.”

According to the Department of Public Works, the city’s water treatment plant pumped 5.2 million gallons of water per day in June and 6.6 million gallons of water per day in July, an increase from the 4.3 million gallons of water per day averaged in 2024. 

Saratoga Springs isn’t the first jurisdiction to implement voluntary water restrictions. The Town of Ballston implemented similar water restrictions on July 16, and the Town of Charlton implemented the measures on July 17. In addition, the Town of Moreau issued a water restriction order on Aug. 12 — although this notice was due to repairs to the water supply in Queensbury.

The voluntary water restrictions come at a time when Saratoga Springs has seen higher than average temperatures with steady or below average precipitation. According to the National Weather Service, June saw 4.41 inches of precipitation, compared to the average of 4.18 inches while July saw 3.91 inches compared to an average of 4.24 inches. 

Meanwhile in terms of temperature, Saratoga Springs saw an average temperature of 71.4 degrees in June, compared to the average of 67.2 overall, and an average temperature of 77.3 — the highest average  temperature for July on record —  compared to the typical average of 71.8 degrees.