BRIDGEWATER — Town Manager Michael Dutton reports that an outdoor watering ban for municipal water users will take effect Friday, July 29 to protect the town’s water supply.
Under the current Bridgewater Town Code, automatic lawn sprinkler systems are not allowed to be connected to the town’s water supply at any time, and residents may not use town water to fill swimming pools.
In addition to the standing restrictions, the issued ban will prohibit other outdoor watering activities, including the use of handheld sprinklers or watering cans and washing vehicles. The only exception that will be made is the watering of vegetable gardens by hand, which will be permitted only between the hours of 5-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m.
The ban applies to all users of town water and will remain in place indefinitely.
Those with private wells are exempt from the ban, however are encouraged to voluntarily comply with the added outdoor watering regulations.
The Town of Bridgewater is served by 10 wells and two storage towers. Water supply is significantly strained at this time, with both towers measuring less than 50% full this week.
The town usually rotates the use of the wells, keeping some on reserve and allowing them to rest and refill on a regular basis. However, due to seriously low water levels, this practice has been unable to take place since the end of June and wells are currently pumping at full capacity.
Increased water use puts a strain on the available water supply and affects water pressure, which can also have a severe impact on firefighting operations. A lack of water supply and pressure can also result in water discoloration, which — though not harmful — has been noticed by water customers throughout town in recent weeks.
“We ask all Bridgewater municipal water users to abide by this ban in order to protect our water supply, replenish the town’s water towers and wells, and ensure that we have the necessary water supply needed for consumption and in the event of an emergency,” Town Manager Dutton said. “Low water levels like we are experiencing in Bridgewater impacts everyone who uses town water, and those effects are likely to worsen should water use continue to outweigh our supply. The ongoing drought has worked to exacerbate our supply issues, and in addition to ceasing outdoor water use, we encourage everyone to be conscious of additional ways that they can lessen their water usage indoors as well.”
Water division personnel will be patrolling frequently to enforce the outdoor watering ban. Anyone found to be in violation of the ban may be penalized $50 for the first violation and $100 for each subsequent violation.
Additional ways residents can conserve water include:
- Turning off water while brushing teeth or shaving (“never let the water run”).
- Taking shorter showers and using water-saving showerheads.
- Washing only full loads of laundry and dishes.
- Fixing leaky faucets, toilets and pipes as soon as a leak is observed.
For more information or questions, please visit the Town of Bridgewater Water Supply website.
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