Suffolk County orders lawn watering ban — but some homeowners insist they will not cut back

They’d rather go dry than go brown.

Suffolk County issued a plea to homeowners this week to stop watering their lawns after the levels in county water tanks dropped dangerously low —  but homeowners reached by the Post said they have no intention of letting their lawn wilt in the summer sun.

“Ain’t nobody going to stop me from keeping my grass green,” Ryan Vargas told The Post about the new rules. 

Vargas owns a home with his family in North Bay Shore, one of six locations flagged by the SCWA as a “high use” area across the county.

“I’ll try to chill and use less water, sure, but telling me I can’t water my own lawn at all is crazy — it’s expensive to maintain good grass,” Vargas, who waters his own lawn without sprinklers, said. 

Another North Bay Shore homeowner, Jacqueline Phillips, said she wouldn’t stop watering her home’s lawn over the county’s “scare tactics.” 

“It’s always the worst case scenario with [the county,] there are other ways to conserve rather than not watering your lawn entirely,” Phillips said, adding she would try to cut back in other ways. 

The Suffolk County Water Authority said Tuesday that the shortage has been caused by usage rates that have hit “dangerously high levels” this summer, with peak demand topping 520,000 gallons per minute on multiple occasions, which has “pushed the system to its limits.” 

Officials warned that without a lawn watering ban, water pressure could drop to nearly nothing for homes and businesses, firefighters could be left without enough water, storage tanks could start the day critically low — all while the system runs at full capacity with no backup to handle the strain.

“Our crews are doing everything possible to keep water flowing, but this is a shared responsibility,” said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo. “SCWA is imploring customers to refrain from all lawn watering until further notice.” 

The county had previously issued a Stage 1 water crisis and asked residents in late-July to cut back on unnecessary use, and even limit their lawn watering to a schedule determined by house numbers. 

Homes with odd-numbered addresses were told they were allowed to water the lawn on odd days, and even-numbered addresses allowed on even days — with no watering allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. everyday. 

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But now, Suffolk is urging property owners across the county to immediately halt all lawn watering until further notice. 

“Unfortunately, not enough of our customers have been cutting back on their water use,” said SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz. “If this continues, we’ll see more drops in water pressure, and our ability to respond to emergencies like fires will be at risk.”

The new alert has since left some residents confused and angered, especially those who spend a fortune to maintain pristine lawns. 

Rolando Fong questioned to The Post why places like golf courses and luxury hotels, that he argued use more water than most homeowners, are not being told to stop operating while they crack down on him.

But Szabo said if Long Islanders don’t take these restrictions seriously, the area is at a major risk.

He warned the drop in pressure wouldn’t just mean weaker showers and sputtering faucets — but the possibility that fire hydrants run dry when they’re needed most and said the only way to avoid that scenario is for everyone to cut back now, before the county’s water crisis turns into a full-blown emergency.

The town of Southold, another one of the six towns flagged, has since taken the county’s recommendations seriously, and passed new restrictions on watering lawns just days after the SCWA’s initial announcement. 

The law, approved in a 4-1 vote on July 22, made the odd/even schedule for automatic sprinklers law, and requires irrigation companies to provide customers with a compliance letter for the town, while setting fines of up to $1,000 for those who disregard the new rules.