Town Temporarily Bans All Outdoor Water Use and Asks Residents to Conserve Water Indoors
BRIDGEWATER – Town Manager Michael Dutton, Public Works Director Azu Etoniru and Fire Chief John Schlatz are announcing a water supply emergency in the Town of Bridgewater due to dangerously low water tank levels caused largely by prohibited residential water use.
As a result, the Town has enacted a full ban on outdoor water use, at least through Monday, June 24. Town officials are also asking residents to safely conserve general water usage as best they can in the coming days, knowing that the current heat advisory is still in effect.
Increased demand for water during the heat wave combined with prohibited outdoor usage and ongoing well replacement projects has drained Town water tanks to their lowest levels in years. Prohibited usage includes the use of outdoor residential sprinkler systems and the filling of residential pools.
If the current pace of water usage continues, the Town’s water tanks could be nearly empty by as soon as Monday.
“Over the past few weeks, we have sent out numerous reverse-911 calls and made announcements asking residents to limit their water usage,” Town Manager Dutton said. “These messages have gone unheeded and we are now at a point where the water levels in our tanks are concerningly low. We absolutely need residents to adhere to this message and halt all outdoor water usage immediately. If residents cooperate, and Town water tanks are allowed time to refill, this restriction could be lifted within a few days.”
Traditionally, there is about 75 feet of water in each of the Town’s two main water tanks, which are located on Sprague Hill and Great Hill. As of Thursday morning, the tanks were down to 30 and 25 feet, respectively. The water levels have dropped about 50% in the last week alone. When levels dip below 50 feet there is cause for concern among Town officials.
Public Safety Concern
This issue also poses a significant public safety threat, particularly for the Fire Department, which would be faced with issues of low water pressure at hydrants and the overall amount of water available to effectively fight fires.
“A large fire can require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to fully extinguish,” Chief Schlatz said. “We need to prioritize public safety and allow the water tanks to recharge.”
In the case of a water supply shortage, the Fire Department would need to rely on the use of water tanks on its own trucks, in addition to calling in tanker trucks and mutual aid from other communities.
What is Being Done
To help mitigate this issue in the short term, Well 10B, which had been turned off for scheduled maintenance, was turned back on today to help resupply the tanks. Residents may notice a slight discoloration in their water due to this well being turned on prior to the scheduled maintenance being completed. However, the water remains safe to drink and use.
The Town’s Department of Public Works this week conducted water pumping tests required by the state Department of Environmental Protection in connection with the ongoing efforts to replace Wells 5 and 9 with new wells. The replacement wells cannot be turned on until approval is given by the DEP, which could take up to 60 days. Town officials will be petitioning the DEP to ask if they can expedite the process to allow for the wells to be turned on as quickly as possible.
What You Can Do
As of right now, the water tanks simply need time to be resupplied by the water in the Town’s wellfields. With the measures in place, the tanks could be replenished by next week.
To help with this issue residents are asked to take the following measures while the emergency order is in place:
- Do not use outdoor sprinkler systems
- Do not fill or refill your pool with Town water
- Do not water flower beds
- Do not water vegetable gardens
- Consider taking shorter showers
- Delay non-essential laundry loads
Fines for Prohibited Usage
Town officials will also be driving around neighborhoods to check on sprinkler usage and will be stepping up enforcement of Town water rules. Residents found violating Town water restrictions will be subject to substantial fines for each day of prohibited use.
The Bridgewater Public Works Department continuously monitors all residential water usage and can see which users have had significant spikes in use. Residents are reminded that significant spikes in use could also result in higher water bills.
“These high water usages are a clear indication to us that there is significant ongoing prohibited water use by residents,” said Public Works Director Etoniru. “There are hundreds of pools in town that residents have been trying to top off in a short period of time and we know of several residents who have outdoor sprinkler systems that are not allowed to be used under Town ordinances. We all need to do our part so we can get the water levels back to where they need to be.”
If anyone has any questions they are asked to call the Bridgewater Water Department at 508-697-0910.
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