Print
Share page with AddThis

West Newbury Water Department- Mandatory Water Restriction

A Message from the West Newbury Water Department
Posted on: July 7, 2022 - 9:56am

WEST NEWBURY WATER DEPARTMENT
MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTION
MAY 1ST AND RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH

WATER RESTRICTION LEVEL RAISED

The West Newbury Water Departments water withdrawal permit from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) requires the department to limit nonessential outdoor water use through mandatory restrictions from May 1st through September 30th as outlined below. To the extent feasible, all summer outdoor water use should take place before 9am and after 5pm when evaporation and evapotranspiration rates are lower.

The restrictions are called “Calendar Triggered Restrictions”. At this time, under these restrictions all nonessential outdoor water use is restricted to:

ONE (1) day per week (WEDNESDAY’S ONLY) before 9am and after 5pm starting on July 6th 2022. The USGS stream gage 01101000 - Parker River at Byfield, MA has fallen below the 7-day low-flow statistic 0.48 cfs for three (3) consecutive days.

Once stream flow triggered restrictions are implemented, (1 DAY/WEEK), they shall remain in place until stream flow at the gage meets or exceeds 0.48 cfs for seven (7) consecutive days.

NOTICES WILL BE POSTED IF THE ALLOWABLE WATERING TIMES GO BACK TO SEVEN DAYS PER WEEK.

Water Use Restrictions

Nonessential outdoor water uses that are subject to mandatory restrictions include;

• irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems;

 • washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety; and

• washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.

The following uses may be allowed when mandatory restrictions are in place. (Watering permitted anytime)

• irrigation to establish a new lawn and new plantings during the months of May and September;

• irrigation of gardens, flowers, and ornamental plants by means of a hand-held hose (no open-ended hoses, hose must be equipped with a spray nozzle that will shut off) or drip irrigation systems; and

• irrigation of lawns by means of a hand-held hose only (no open-ended hoses, hose must be equipped with a spray nozzle that will shut off).

Water uses NOT subject to mandatory restrictions are those required:
• for health and safety reasons;
• by regulation;
• for the production of food and fiber;
• for the maintenance of livestock; or
• to meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation by plant nurseries as necessary to maintain stock).

Many communities including West Newbury in stressed basins in Massachusetts have been under these types of restrictions for many years.

The Water Department may make more stringent restrictions in the future if need be. XXIII Water Use Restriction By-Law;

Section 9. Penalties

Any persons violating this bylaw shall be given a written warning for the first offense. For the second and subsequent violation within the same calendar year, said person shall be liable to the Water Department in the amount of $100.00 which shall inure to the Town. Fines shall be recovered by indictment, or on complaint before the District Court, or by non-criminal disposition in accordance with section 21D of Chapter 40 of the general laws. Each day constitutes a separate offense. In addition to the above fines, for violations beyond the second offense, the Commissioners shall have the right to suspend water service. If water service is suspended then a Reactivation fee of $250.00 will be charged and must be paid to the Town Collector before water service is restored.

Water Conservation

You can play a role in conserving water and saving yourself money in the process by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water.

NOW IS THE TIME TO SET YOUR IRRIGATION TIMERS TO THE HOURS PERMITTED. SET TIMERS TO COME ON AND SHUT OFF BEFORE 9 AM OR AFTER 5 PM

Here are a few tips:

• Automatic dishwashers use a lot of water for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So, get a run for your money and load it to capacity.

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

• Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year.

• Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Wait 15 minutes to see if the color shows up in the toilet bowl. If it does, you have a leak. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from an invisible toilet leak. Fix it and you could save as much as 30,000 gallons a year and a lot of money. You can also obtain a leak detection kit from the Water Department free of charge.

• If you manually turn your irrigation system on and off instead of running it on a timer, you will save money and help conserve the water supply.

• Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks. Simply turn off all taps and appliances that use water. Take note where the meter dial is located on the meter. Then check the meter dial after several minutes. If the meter dial has moved, you have a leak. Newer meters have a small diamond or star shaped indicator dial that will be turning if you have a leak. If the leak is small, it may take several minutes before the dial will move. If you have a digital meter it may show a flashing water drop.

• Shorten your irrigation system run time. This will stop over watering and put less stress on the water system to keep up with fire protection during those hot months.

• Rain sensors are required to be installed on all grandfathered irrigation systems (prior to 2003) that are connected to the municipal water system. This will stop your irrigation system from watering during rainy periods.

• Install new lawns in the mid spring or early fall when the temperature is mild. If you initially spend more for extra loam when installing a lawn, it will cost you less to water the grass when it grows in because it will be able to hold more moisture for longer periods of time which means you will be able to water less. Don’t wait until summer to install the lawn. A water ban may be in effect which will not allow you to water the lawn or that you will need to water more often which stresses the water system and you lose a lot of water to evaporation during the hot months.

Please conserve your water resources and be aware of any water restrictions that may be implemented in the future. Go to www.wnewbury.org for updates on the Town page and the Water Department page. Your efforts to conserve water will help the department to maintain adequate water levels in the water tanks for fire protection and to relieve stressed water sources. Limiting the amount on nonessential outdoor water use is needed to ensure a sustainable drinking water supply and to protect natural resources and stream flow for aquatic life.