NEWBURY, Vt. — Due to an especially dry summer, town officials have issued restrictions on water use.
While they are in place, water use is limited to “the most essential needs,” Newbury Water Operator Sam Calley wrote in a Wednesday notice.
For example, washing cars, filling pools and watering flowers or lawns are not allowed during the restriction, which works on an honor system basis.
The limit ensures that the town has enough water and pressure for firefighting and overall community use.
June’s rainfall was 1.94 inches — about 50% lower than the monthly average, and July’s was about 40% lower, according to National Weather Service data from St. Johnsbury.
Newbury’s water system is susceptible to dry weather, Calley said in a phone interview on Friday. Water is collected mainly through pipes laid in gravel, a source that dries up without much rainfall.
As a result, water restrictions are a fairly common occurrence, happening every few years, Calley said. The last time was two years ago, and it lasted over a month. Unlike during some past restrictions, water does not need to be boiled to be safe for consumption, Calley said.
For the restriction to end, there needs to be a “substantial amount of rain,” he said.
“The hope is that folks will reduce water use and so we’ll reduce our consumption and then that we’ll get some rain,” Calley said.
“Their efforts to reduce consumption make a big difference,” he said.
Further information will be posted on the town’s ListServ, along with physical posting at the Newbury Town Office, Post Office and General Store.
