Get ready to go dry.

Medfield is going to have to cut back on lawn watering and car washing permanently.

Medfield gets its water from the Neponset and Charles rivers.

Because of stress on the Neponset River and Charles Rive basins, the Department of Environmental Protection or DEP, revised the town's Water Management Act permit and made several changes to reduce the amount of water used in households.

There was once a thought of becoming part of the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority but town officials frown on that idea. They prefer having control over their water supply rather than dealing with the huge MWRA.

If the state gives Medfield the water tower on the former state hospital property to supply water to the proposed living units, there should not be a supply problem when these new residences are constructed.

But restrictions may be inevitable because the agency trying to save both the Neponset and the Charles river basins see over use of river water as a big problem.

Naturally town officials expressed concerns regarding the DEP proposal, especially because it is restricting the town's residential per capita water use from nearly 100 gallons per day to 65, which is doable in the winter but challenging in the summer . Everyone is going to have to make some changes and the town may have to police water use.

The DEP also asks for a summer withdrawal cap, from May to September, taking daily volume from an average of 1.7 million to 1.5 million gallons per day.

"The whole thing is absurd," said Town Administrator Michael Sullivan.

He noted the town puts back twice as much water as it takes from the Charles River through open spaces.

If the town needs to start controlling the amount of water residents can use, Sullivan said the town "will be the big brothers of the residents," while the DEP would be the big brothers of the town.

According to Superintendent of Public Works Ken Feeney, the DEP's report contradicts itself because it restricts watering lawns while allowing the watering of golf courses during severe dry weather.

Clearly there are problems with the restrictions. Golf course should not be given carte blanche to water during dry spells and Medfield's contribution to the Charles River should be considered and reflected in its restrictions. Policing residents' water use will take time and resources from the town. But if the problem is as serious as members of the Charles River Watershed say, then it looks like such changes would be inevitable.

According to Nigel Pickering, senior environmental engineer of the Charles River Watershed Association, the policy is effective from a river perspective.

If the town exceeds the authorized volume by 2006, it will need to implement a water bank, which provides at least two gallons of water for every additional gallon of water demand.

"I think it will be an initial shock," said Pickering. "But I think if the town encourages people to adapt ... what the DEP is proposing is quite achievable."

Unfortunately there is little choice in this matter as the restrictions are inevitable. The changes residents and town officials will have to make to accommodate the requirements will not be easy. The only hope is that the DEP will think of tweaking restrictions and make them apply to everyone - even golf courses can cut back a little and that would take some pressure off residents. Medfield's contribution to the watershed should also be acknowledged.