Town may get tougher on water usage

Town officials are tinkering with the water conservation policy in an effort to safeguard the necessary fluid before lake levels dip too low.

The water level of Lake Pelham has not increased much in the past month, and it hasn't decreased much either. As of Monday morning, the town reservoir remained at about 26 inches below normal, according to Harry Hughes, director of environmental services.

In late September, however, Lake Pelham dipped to nearly three feet below normal, prompting mandatory restrictions for the first time ever.

Those restrictions remain in place until Dec. 22.

But what happens if winter arrives and the lake still hasn't rebounded- Compulsory water conservation could become a year-round habit.

At its meeting Monday, the Town Council Water and Sewer Committee recommended that the town's water conservation policy be amended to allow water restrictions earlier, if need be, depending on the time of year.

"The biggest premise is that we can expect (the lake) to be down in August, September and October, but if we are down in January, even slightly, that's the time when we should be making it up," said Hughes of diminished water evaporation in colder months.

In other words, being 18 inches down in January would be far more "serious" than being 18 inches down in July, yet the current policy does not reflect that. Therefore, Hughes came up with a "suggested water restriction grid" in which more severe restrictions could be implemented based on the season and the corresponding lake level.

"If it's January and we are 18 inches down we need to be in serious restrictions," he told the committee. "But in July, that would be 36 inches down."

The goal is "to protect our water," Hughes said, advising that the new policy could affect water revenues. The committee unanimously approved his recommendation and the item goes to Town Council for full approval its next regular meeting Dec. 11.

"What this does is it changes it to where earlier in the year we can be more aggressive with water conservation," he said.

Since Town Council enacted the mandatory restrictions September 22, water usage has declined. According to Hughes, town water customers are now using about 2.3 million gallons of water per day, compared to about 2.6 million two months ago.

What it means

Town water customers are currently under mandatory restrictions, meaning no watering of outdoor vegetation or washing cars at home through Dec. 22. But those measures could extend into the winter if Lake Pelham remains below normal.

Per a proposed policy, mandatory restrictions would kick in at different water levels, depending on the season. That's because water evaporates at a faster rate during warmer months, meaning water levels usually rebound during the winter - though that is not guaranteed.

Therefore, town officials are taking a more proactive stance to water conservation. Following are the months and corresponding water levels at Lake Pelham at which mandatory restrictions could take effect:

January through March: One foot below normal.

April-May: 18 inches below

June: 24 inches below

July-September: 30 inches

October: 24 inches below

November-December: 18 inches below normal

Per the current policy, mandatory restrictions are not enacted year round until Lake Pelham dips to 36 inches below normal.

The new policy goes before Town Council for final approval at its meeting Dec. 11.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or