CRWA in the NewsMilford institutes voluntary water banBy Danielle Ameden, Daily News staff MILFORD - Worried about Echo Lake Reservoir - the town's main summertime drinking water supply - turning into a "big mud hole," the Milford Water Co. is calling for customers to watch their drips and drops. With townspeople currently using 4.4 million gallons a day, the private company has enacted a voluntary odd/even outdoor water ban, the first step in a four-part drought management plan. "OK people, we're starting to use a lot of water," Manager Henry Papuga said. "Give us a break, save yourself some money and cut back on your water use. ... Our major concern - that we would de-water our reservoir." Prompted by the high water use, hot weather and a lack of rainfall, the company is asking even-numbered homes and businesses to use water outdoors only on even days and vice versa with odd numbers. The instructions were mailed with 3,000 water bills on Monday. Papuga said people's lawn watering habits are a particular concern, with many overusing sprinklers and irrigation systems to get a green, rolling look. "When you're talking about deleting resources when people don't have water because your lawn is more important, that's kind of crazy," Papuga said. "Terrible waste of water, not healthy for the lawns." He said many people have their sprinklers and systems going at high noon, with the lawns getting scorched and half the misting water evaporating from the heat before it hits the blades of grass. "The next day, it's going to be more brown," Papuga said. "They're frying it." The water company is currently pulling 70 percent of its drinking water supply from Echo Lake and 30 percent from wells along the Charles River, while nearly 100 percent of its springtime supply comes from the river. Charles River Watershed Association's Nigel Pickering said Milford's water use and drought advisory is on their radar screen. The river starts flowing from town, east to Boston, and the town plays an important role of protecting the Charles' health being at the headwaters. "I think every summer Milford should be watching their water use," said Pickering, a senior environmental engineer. "They have to take particular care because there's not much water to play with. ... The more they can conserve ... it helps." Papuga said the company is monitoring not only local Charles River levels but temperature and precipitation daily, as well as reservoir levels weekly, watching for signs of drought. He said the water supply should get replenished with customer cooperation and an average rainfall that's expected as the summer winds down. But if water conservation doesn't kick in by next Friday, the Water Co. may enact step two of its water ban plan: a mandatory restriction on outdoor water use, he said. The first violation of the ban would be a written warning, the second would result in having the customer's water shut off. "It gets the people's attentions pretty quickly," Papuga said. "We're trying to raise your consciousness as a customer." If water quantity isn't improved by the end of August, the third and eventually fourth steps could take effect with increased restrictions and a drought emergency declaration. By that point, businesses would be forced to cut back on water use, including restaurants stopping serving patrons drinking water. Papuga said he "can only hope" that doesn't become the case, remembering back in the '80s when a drought drained Echo Lake. "It was pretty scary," he said. "It was like a big mud hole."
|