Town Implements Water Use Restrictions in Response to Mild Drought
Photo: amherstma.gov
Source: amherstma.gov
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs declared the Connecticut River Valley has been downgraded to a Level 1 Mild Drought status following two months of above normal precipitation preceded by a relatively dry fall and winter. The Town of Amherst’s water supply has remained stable throughout and not threatened by the drought situation. However, in accordance with the Town’s Water Management Act Registration, the Town of Amherst is required to implement water use restrictions to ensure responsible water management.
Water Use Restrictions
As outlined in the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan, a Level 1 Mild Drought requires that nonessential outdoor watering be limited to one day per week, between 5:00 PM and 9:00 AM. To comply with this requirement, the Town of Amherst is implementing the following outdoor water restrictions:
- Tuesdays: Nonessential outdoor watering allowed for even-numbered houses from 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM.
- Thursdays: Nonessential outdoor watering allowed for odd-numbered houses from 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM.
- Watering of ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, handheld hose, or water cans is permitted at any time.
Essential uses of water include:
- Health and safety reasons, including public facilities used for cooling such as the splash pad and swimming pools.
- Production of food, including privately-owned home vegetable gardens.
- Maintenance of livestock.
- Core functions of a business, limited to plant nurseries, golf courses, wedding venues and professional washing for construction purposes.
- Irrigation of public or interscholastic athletic fields, and public parks, with restrictions
- Watering of publicly funded shade trees.
Nonessential uses of water 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.
- Washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement, or concrete.
Additional Recommendations
As always the Town encourages residents to practice water conservation methods including:
- Minimize overall water use.
- Fix indoor leaks, such as from toilets, faucets, and showers, which result in more than 60 percent of indoor use.
- For larger buildings and businesses, conduct water audits to identify areas of leaks and potential water conservation opportunities.
- Minimize lawn sizes.
- Harvest rainwater for outdoor watering.
Burning Permits
State regulations permit open air burning of brush for spring yard cleanup from January 15th to May 1st each year. The Amherst Fire Department is currently issuing open air burning permits. However, with our region still under a mild drought, warm and dry conditions could lead to elevated fire risks similar to last fall. In such a scenario, open air burning may be banned for extended periods of time. To avoid disappointment this spring, the Amherst Fire Department encourages residents to obtain their permits promptly and to conduct their open air burning as early as possible this season. Learn more and obtain an Open Air Burning Permit.
More Information
This Level 1 Mild Drought declaration was made following a recommendation from the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force (DMTF), which is composed of officials from state departments, federal agencies, and relevant regional organizations. Several factors are considered when determining a drought including precipitation, groundwater levels, streamflow, lakes and impoundments, evapotranspiration, and fire potential. The declaration will remain in effect until water levels return to normal conditions.
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