CLAREMONT — As drought conditions persist and are expected to worsen, some Upper Valley communities have started suggesting that residents use less water while supply is still available.

Most of Grafton and Sullivan counties are in a moderate drought, with severe drought conditions drying out the southern part of the state, according to the federally managed U.S. Drought Monitor. Eastern Orange and Windsor counties are also in a moderate drought. Forecasts suggest that these conditions will persist for at least a month and potentially get worse.

In an effort to prepare for what could be harsher conditions in the fall, last week Claremont’s Public Works Department asked the city’s residents to voluntarily refrain from watering lawns, washing cars, filling pools and “other non-essential water usage.” While Lebanon has imposed mandatory restrictions, the notice from Claremont emphasized that it wasn’t intended to alarm water users, and that the city has “an adequate amount of water in storage.” But city officials are “trying to be proactive” to prevent the need for additional restrictions. It’s also just good practice, Claremont Public Works Director Alex Gleeson said.

“We’re trying to be as conservative as we can with making sure the reservoirs are topped off,” Gleeson said. “If we aren’t, then people continuously fill pools and go about their normal days — at least we can try second-guessing some stuff.”

While the area still receives sporadic rainfall, higher-than-normal temperatures mean these storms evaporate more quickly. Ted Diers, administrator of New Hampshire’s Watershed Management Bureau, reported that this relationship will likely continue to cause dry conditions.

“Unfortunately, the time to prepare for a drought is not during a drought,” Diers said. “The time to prepare is well ahead of a drought.”

Since that time has passed, Diers said that people should be adhering as best as they can to their communities’ water restrictions.

In a public meeting hosted by the New Hampshire Drought Management Team on Monday, Diers explained that there are three kinds of drought that this area is particularly susceptible to: surface water, soil and groundwater droughts.

“They’re all interconnected of course by precipitation, but the impact that they have on us varies,” Diers said, emphasizing that groundwater levels in the Upper Valley are particularly low and worse than at this time last year. State-monitored wells are reporting some of the most minimal fill rates on record.

Across the river, officials in Newbury, Vt., have also asked residents to limit their water usage. The villages of Newbury and Wells River, incorporated in the town of Newbury, have their own municipal water sources. Newbury village’s drinking water supply, which leans heavily on both ground and surface water, has decreased significantly.

“I don’t think everyone’s as dependent on the water table as we are,” said Jeff McKelvey, who oversees the water supply for Newbury village.

When groundwater conditions drop too low, the village has to dip into its open reservoir, which requires much more filtration and would put the village on a boil notice.

McKelvey said that these dry conditions are unusual.

“Up until two years ago, we were doing fine,” McKelvey said. “But the snow pack was terrible this winter, and so we didn’t get anything to recharge the water table to begin with.” Most of Vermont and New Hampshire reported significantly lower-than-average snowfall this winter.

On the other end of the spectrum, hotter-than-usual temperatures this summer have prompted people to take more water from the already dwindling supply. McKelvey reported that Newbury village’s water use for the month of July was up 6,000 gallons from its typical 35,000 gallons as residents fret over drying gardens and fight for relief by filling their swimming pools.

As the village water supply is stretched, McKelvey urges residents to prioritize, and limit, their water use. “At this point in particular, it’s a limited resource,” he said.

McKelvey has been keeping a big tank in the back of his truck full of Connecticut River water for village residents to use as an alternative to the municipal water supply.

“I would love it if I saw a long line out the back of that truck,” McKelvey said. “It would tell me that people weren’t just using potable water for their flowers.”

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at 603-727-3242 or fmize@vnews.com.