LEBANON — The city is further restricting water use in response to extreme drought conditions in Southern Grafton County.
The Level 3 restrictions, which go into effect Monday afternoon, prohibit those on city water from using automated sprinkler systems to water their lawns and from filling swimming pools, according to a Friday announcement from the Public Works Department.
People with odd-numbered addresses “may water lawns/landscapes, wash motorized vehicles and boats, or wash driveways, sidewalks, or other impervious areas,” on Mondays and Thursdays only, while people with even-numbered addresses can do the same only on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Water users are still allowed to irrigate “food gardens at residential properties” by hand and use “water necessary to sustain animal life,” the announcement from the city said.
Updated earlier this week, the U.S. Drought Monitor’s map of the Northeast shows that Southern Grafton County — along with slivers of Sullivan and Merrimack counties — is now in an “extreme drought.” Previously, those areas had been in a “severe drought.”
The extreme ranking is the fourth highest level on the drought scale, according to the monitor, which is overseen and updated by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the red spot, at least in our area,” Enfield Public Works Director Jim Taylor said in a Friday phone interview, referring to the bright red on the map used to mark areas of extreme drought. He has worked for the town for 30 years, including 15 as public works director.
Enfield is among the Upper Valley communities and water systems which have issued voluntary water restrictions in response to the region’s worsening drought conditions.
The last time Enfield enacted voluntary water restrictions was in August 2022 when the region was in a moderate drought, Taylor said.
On Thursday, the Enfield Selectboard asked the town’s municipal water users to voluntarily “discontinue all outdoor watering,” according to an announcement. These steps include refraining from watering lawns, washing driveways, other paved areas, and vehicles, and filling pools.
“I’m not seeing any effects on our wells yet, but as these things go you never know how long they’re going to last so it makes sense to use an abundance of caution so you don’t get yourself into trouble,” he said.
He noted that users were using less water in August and so far in September than they were in June and July.
Meanwhile, Meriden’s three-member water commission board is asking users to avoid “all non-essential water use both inside and outside your home,” they wrote in a Sept. 8 announcement. “In order to assure an adequate water supply, water conservation is essential.”
Voluntary restrictions have not had much effect in Lebanon.
Lebanon has had level two restrictions in place since Monday, Sept. 8. Under those restrictions, city water users were asked to avoid outdoor water use during the day and limit such use to every other day. In addition, the city has shut off its fountains.
“We have not seen a drop in daily production at the water treatment plant since the severe restrictions went into effect Monday,” Lebanon Department of Public Works Director Jay Cairelli said in a Friday phone interview, adding that it’s a reliable indicator “that people are still using water as they typically do.”
Those found violating the new restrictions will first be issued a verbal warning, followed by a $100 fine, with fines for additional violations ranging from $200 to $1,000, according to Lebanon’s City Code.
“We’re hoping it can just be a conversation between DPW and water users,” Cairelli said, instead of having to issue fines.
In contrast, Claremont Public Works Director Alex Gleeson said he has noticed a reduction in water use since the city instituted voluntary water restrictions on Wednesday.
“It seems like once we put the post out people are being more mindful of their water consumption,” Gleeson said in a Friday phone interview.
“We’re monitoring our water levels throughout the day, 24/7,” he said. “We’re trying to be preemptive with conservation because we don’t know where it will go.”
The city is also looking at the way it uses water and shut off the fountain in the middle of the city.
“If we’re going to ask people to be conserving water, we need to also do the same,” Gleeson said.
