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WATER SYSTEM UPDATE 10/19/16

Posted on: October 19, 2016 - 9:25am

*Please note that this update and all future updates will contain new information and does not repeat information already provided in previous updates*

 

The Drought Management Crisis Team met on Tuesday, October 14th.

Water Supply

  • Supply: The Water Department continues to supply the Town’s water needs from the ground water wells.
  • Rainfall: Monday night brought an unexpected 0.6 inches of rain.  There is some indication that a tropical storm could bring an additional 1-2” over the coming weekend.
  • Reservoir level: As of Wednesday morning the Reservoir level was 27.2% and edged up 1/2” versus the previous week.(Last October, the Reservoir was at 62% full.)
  • Private Wells:The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has reissued model by-laws for municipalities to consider in managing ground water use during drought conditions.The Board of Health will be reviewing at some point in the future. Any regulations will require Town Meeting approval.

 

Water Usage

  • Water use in the week of October 11th through October 17th was 1,145,571 gallons per day or 64 gallons per person per day.This is a 3% drop in daily consumption (thank you!)Conservation remains the single biggest factor that will enable us all to get through this extraordinary period of drought.
  • Send your water saving tips to conservewater@scituatema.gov
  • Remember – municipal water cannot be used to wash houses or boats.Cars can only be washed in facilities that recycle water.
  • Violations: There were 2 water ban violations this past week on Crescent Avenue and Otis Place.

Future Resiliency

  • Expansion of the Reservoir:  The Special Town Meeting on Wednesday night will consider an Article to fund the Town’s $39,000 portion of a project to continue engineering and permitting work to raise the Reservoir height.  (TONIGHT at 7pm in the High School gym.)
  • Satellite Well:  An engineering firm is advising the Water Department on drilling the “satellite” well adjacent to Well 22 to enable this well field to return to its previous level of productivity. Funding for this is also on the warrant for this evening.

Outreach and Education

  • The Transfer Station has rain barrels for sale to residents for $55.The first batch of 25 barrels has sold out.An additional 25 will arrive at the Transfer Station and be ready for pick-up this weekend.You can purchase a rain barrel at the Town website www.scituatema.gov .  (Click on the “On-line Services” icon in the box to the left side of the screen, then click on the $-sign.  Use your receipt to pick-up the rain barrel at the Transfer Station.)

  • Water bills:The Water Department bills one-third of the residential customers each month.Several residents who received the September billing asked why their bill does not reflect their reduced usage due to the water restrictions.Answer: The restrictions began on July 8th and were increased on August 5th.The September billing covered the period June, July and August, before and during the ban.The December water bills for these customers will reflect the full benefit of their water use reduction.

  • A recent analysis of household water use indicates that a big opportunity exists for homeowners to save water by installing aerators on kitchen and bathroom faucets.If you have faucets installed during the late 90’s, aerators will enable you to reduce your daily household use by 25%, lower your water bill, and save about 20 gallons of water each day.The Town is working with local hardware stores to offer discounts on aerators.More on this next week.