Wait... - DEP

Environmental Protection


Wait… App


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Wait…

Wait… is a voluntary program that notifies participants when to use less water in their homes during heavy rain to help protect our waterways. Download the Wait… app today to help keep our waterways clean and healthy. When it rains, all you have to do is Wait…

Download Wait… Tips

Download the Wait… Brochure

Download the Wait… Poster

Why Wait…?

Whenever we do laundry, shower, wash dishes, or flush the toilet, the water we use goes down the drain and into the sewer. But when there’s heavy rain, that wastewater has to share the sewer with LOTS of rainwater. On those days, our sewers can fill to capacity and a mix of wastewater and rainwater can end up going into our waterways. You can be a Hero by waiting to use water in your home during heavy rain to help keep our waterways clean for our community and wildlife.

How it Works

When there’s heavy rain, we’ll send you a notification through the app so you know when to Wait… and we’ll send you another one when it’s all clear. It’s completely voluntary and you will only receive notifications when rain is forecasted so you can plan ahead when we get those big New York City downpours.

Ways to Wait…

When you receive a notification to Wait…, you can help protect our waterways by:

💧 doing laundry later
💧 taking a shorter shower
💧 delaying dishwashing

and if you’re really brave…

💧 waiting to flush the toilet