By Quinta Goines

Residents in Troy are being asked to adhere to an odd/even watering outdoor schedule to conserve water during summer months.

The water department has been setting the odd and even watering days since 2000 and this summer’s statute went into effect Monday.

Water department officials are asking residents to water their plants and crops every other day according to their address. Residents’ whose address ends in an even number will water on even days of the month and those residents’ whose address is an odd number will water on odd days of the month.

“We are not lacking water, but we are trying to conserve water,” said Mike Davis, general manager of Troy Utilities. The summer days are getting hotter and more water will be used.

The water department is pumping more than 4 million gallons of water from the wells per day, and when it gets to that amount, the city starts to conserve as much water as possible.

Troy is one of the few cities in the southeast that pumps all of the water for residents’ consumption, so the department makes an effort to conserve when it can find ways to do so, Davis said.

Davis also recommends that residents set sprinkler systems to water on the correct days. If residents are not sure how to set their systems, a representative from the water department will help assist them.

To aid with the conservation of water, residents also can limit their outside water usage to one inch per week.

“We’ve had very good success with residents complying with the request,” Davis said.