MVD Declares Water Emergency

[Tom Mahon]

In case you have not seen anything on this, I was notified by the Fire Chief and Town Manager, yesterday (July 4) of a water emergency. The MVD asks residents to avoid unneccesary use of water. The current heat and lack of rain is straining the district's resources. While odd/even watering is still in effect, the MVD may ban any out side watering. The MVD is going to get Well #8 on-line ,but it will take a 2-3 days. Today's update indicates that, as usual, once aware of the situation, residents step up. While the supply situation is still of concern, the reduced use of water has allowed to the district to move toward an adequate reserve. Thank you.

[Tim Tenhave]

Interesting, the MVD website does not mention the "request" or "emergency"... http://www.mvdwater.org/

Tim

[andysinnh]

I called the FD tonight to see their take on the conflicting messages - MVD Nixle statement of a "water emergency" and the even/odd watering posters popping up around town. The FD's take on the situation is that MVD wants people to be smart about their water use, and if they can wait to use water for outside purposes to try and do so. If not, then even/odd is the mandate that's already in place. For me, since I'm an even number, I went out and hand-watered a few of the more vulnerable plants and a couple spots in the yard that were getting real crispy, but didn't use a sprinker since it wastes a bunch. And saying a few chants tonight that a pop-up shower might swing by tomorrow to quench the rest of the yard's thirst....

andy

[andysinnh]

Now official - complete outside watering ban effective today. http://www.mvdwater.org

[RBarnes]

It's times like this I appreciate having a private well.

[Debra Huffman]

If the town's deep, huge aquifer is showing the impact of the lack of rain it's probably a good bet that our private wells are also, so I'm being very cautious with water from my private well. Back before we had our well refraced we actually ran the well dry a few times. Not fun.

[mmoy]

I'm amazed that we have shortages now after the amount of precipitation last year and this past winter and spring.

I know someone that was watering this morning. I suppose that I should tell them about the ban if I see them today.

[Brian McCarthy]

Its sometimes tough to tell who has wells and who is on MVD around town.

I know in some places people who got MVD, kept the wells for their lawns etc, that makes it even harder. I recall years ago, people in Chelmsford would put signs on their front lawns stating they had well water to avoid people getting ticked off at them.

As Deb posted, it would be nice if the non-MVD people cut back a bit also, in case this gets really bad (for their own sake and for everyone else).

I'm amazed that we have shortages now after the amount of precipitation last year and this past winter and spring.

I know someone that was watering this morning. I suppose that I should tell them about the ban if I see them today.

[Jeannine Stergios]

I just drove through Chelmsford and they also have a Level 2 Water Emergency. I'm not really sure what a Level 2 entails, but I guess we're not alone.

[Concerned]

You can drive all over town and still see homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler systems going full tilt. I drive through Bedford on the way to work and it is the same thing. Seems to me this is much more usage than my little lot of land.

Where is the enforcement?

Now that my lawn is toast and my garden wilting because I can not water who will pay for my contracted lawn care serivice that I still have to pay for?

[Debra Huffman]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I believe I read that you can water your garden with a watering can. That's allowed. I have a garden bigger than most, and with judicious hand watering it does not seem to be showing ill effects. Perhaps I am just lucky because I mulch much of it with straw.

[lynn]

Water, water, and not a drop...
nevermind, it is a drenching rain right now

[Brian McCarthy]

Second stage of what MVD should be doing is providing a 'tip line' for such an issue. Call, leave the time/date/address of what you see and they can go check it out.

Brian

You can drive all over town and still see homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler systems going full tilt. I drive through Bedford on the way to work and it is the same thing. Seems to me this is much more usage than my little lot of land.

Where is the enforcement?

Now that my lawn is toast and my garden wilting because I can not water who will pay for my contracted lawn care serivice that I still have to pay for?

[TonyRichardson]

Keeping the update on the town access channel would be handy too.
This morning it was just reinforcing the even/odd.
Nothing about the water ban.

[Ken Coleman]

Anyone wonder why our water restriction is one of the most severe?

It has to do with the fact that our water supply is undersized for the amount of users in town.

We have to have odd even watering, even when we have had heavy rainfalls.

If our system is tight when the rainfall is plentiful, it is no wonder that we have such a severe problem

At some point growth will resume in the town. What then? Unless we do something our water issues will continue to get worse.

Ken Coleman