TO THE EDITOR:

Medfield was recently issued a draft water withdrawal permit by the Department of Environmental Protection, DEP, that requires the town and its residents to change how they think about and manage water. This revised permit is subject to DEP's new policy aimed at water management in stressed river basins like the Charles and Neponset Rivers. Contrary to Town Administrator Sullivan's assertion ("DEP to Initiate Water Restrictions," Oct. 28, 2004) basing water usage on the availability of water is far from "absurd."

Water supply wells remove large quantities of water from groundwater aquifers. Much of this water is not returned to its original groundwater source - it evaporates via irrigation, or is piped to a regional wastewater treatment. This results in decreased groundwater supplies, which in turn provide flow to our rivers and streams during the summer when streamflows are naturally low. Low flows are eliminating river fish: in the Charles, a recent study found that 98 percent of the fish in the mainstem are species normally found in lakes and ponds, as compared to 70 percent river fish that should be present.

DEP's objective is to reduce water use, especially outdoor use, during the summer months. Water use in Medfield nearly doubles in the summer, mostly due to lawn watering. Residents use as much as 100 gallons per person per day (gppd), much higher than the 65 gppd recommended by the state and much higher than many other communities. Limiting lawn size, over-seeding with hardy grasses, top-dressing to increase soil storage and watering only once or twice a week at night are all effective in reducing outdoor use.

Sullivan's statement that the town puts twice as much water into the Charles via the wastewater treatment plant as it withdraws is misguided. First, more than half of that water is imported from wells in the Neponset watershed, in Mill Brook. Second, about half of the "wastewater" is clean groundwater that leaks into the sewer pipes and is short-circuited to the river. Third, the wastewater discharged to the Charles contains significant amounts of phosphorus that cause algae blooms.

The permit reflects the fact that it is time to hold the line. Green lawns are fine when we have lots of rain, but restrictions are required to protect the river and tributaries during dry periods. There are solutions: capturing rainwater for use on lawns, making lawns more drought-tolerant, and recharging stormwater can help. But water is no longer something we can take for granted, and we must begin use it wisely.

Nigel Pickering

Senior Environmental Engineer

Charles River Watershed Association