Cape May exceeds 2.9 million mark set in 2024 by 200,000 gallons
CAPE MAY — The Fourth of July weekend drew crowds, high temperatures and humidity and record water usage in a city already stressed by statewide drought conditions.
On July 7, City Manager Paul Dietrich said water usage July 4-5 totaled 2.9 million gallons, 200,000 gallons more than the record set in 2024.
“The water system was definitely taxed over the holiday; there were a lot of people in town using a lot of water,” he said, adding that it was hot all week leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Dietrich added that the city reached out to local restaurants and requested they conserve as much water as possible over the holiday weekend, including serving water only upon request.
New Jersey is currently in a drought warning, with the state Department of Environmental Protection monitoring the situation closely. Summer water conservation guidelines include limiting lawn watering to twice weekly or less during dry weather.
The city is continuing to move forward with replacing its water desalination plant to help address the overwhelming demand on the resource, especially during the heavy tourism months. The project comes with a price tag in the range of $36 million to $40 million.
The plant was built to address saltwater intrusion into the city’s aquifers. It is housed in the city’s waterworks building, which was built around 1926. The building will be preserved and a new plant will be constructed in what is now a parking lot.
Holiday celebration
Cape May’s annual Independence Day Parade, scheduled for July 4, was canceled due to extreme heat conditions. The fireworks display, scheduled for 9:30 p.m., was moved up to 8:45 p.m. because of incoming storms.
“I wanted the parade to go forward, but when you find yourself in the same position as the mayor from ‘Jaws,’ arguing with your chief of police, you’re probably in the wrong spot,” Mayor Zack Mullock said. “Thank you to everyone correcting me and truly making the right decision, keeping everyone safe and having probably one of the best fireworks displays I’ve ever seen in Cape May.”
In April, the Cape May County Board of Commissioners awarded nearly $250,000 to 16 municipalities under the Cape May County Land of the Free, Celebration 250 grant program. The funds were to help the communities create memorable, family-friendly patriotic celebrations honoring the founding of the United States.
“The fireworks went off with a very good presentation,” Dietrich said. “I think everyone enjoyed the bigger, better fireworks event. The additional funding that we received from the county helped pay for a bigger event.”
Mullock thanked Dietrich, Deputy City Manager Justin Riggs, city staff, lifeguards, the fire and police departments and the Department of Public Works for their work over the holiday weekend. He also thanked Curtis Bashaw and Cape Resorts for helping sponsor the fireworks show. Dietrich added that, as part of the Office of Emergency Management, they have partnered with local meteorologist Joe Martucci to provide a hyper-specific forecast.
“He’s working with one of his partners to bring enhanced lightning detection to detect lightning up to within a mile,” Dietrich said, adding that it allows for more accurate detection and was helpful for timing the fireworks show.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave