The arrival of the dog days of summer means we can expect long stretches with little rain, and many Long Islanders are putting their sprinklers and hoses to work keeping their lawns green.

But the Long Island Water Conference is calling on residents to reduce water usage to help suppliers maintain adequate water pressure for firefighting and other essential services.

"If everybody waters at the same time, you're going to have pressure problems and now you're not going to have water for doing the things you do around your house, washing the dishes, doing your laundry," says Charles Savinetti, chairman of the Long Island Water Conference.

The group is urging residents to follow odd-even water ordinances. That means owners of odd-numbered houses should water their lawns on odd-number days, and those with even-numbered houses should water on even-number days.

The Long Island Water Conference is also urging residents to reduce indoor water usage, such as by cutting back dishwasher and washing machine use.

A bright spot is that News 12 meteorologists say there could be more water on the way from the skies.

"The pattern looks to be changing a little bit toward the end of this week, next week -- looks like there may be a lot more thunderstorms and rain showers around, which will certainly help things," says News 12 Long Island Chief Meteorologist Bill Korbel.