Flint’s Pond water levels since 2010. In previous droughts, the lowest levels seen at the pond were 5.5 feet below full in 1951, and a bit more than 7 feet below full in 1967 (click image to enlarge).
The complete ban on outdoor lawn watering imposed during last summer’s drought has been modified, though it isn’t back to the old two-day-a-week permitted schedule.
The Water Department Commissioners voted to allow outdoor watering on a one-day-a-week schedule. Outdoor watering via irrigation systems and/or hose sprinklers on Saturdays for street addresses ending in an even number and on Sundays for addresses ending in an odd number. The irrigation systems can operate between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Hand-watering of plants is allowed any day of the week from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.
The water level in Flints Pond has rebounded more than 2.5 feet since the near-record low water levels of this past fall and winter. However, even with this strong recovery, the pond is still more than two feet below full capacity and has not yet reached the level it was at this time last year, according to Water Department Superintendent Greg Woods.
“With normal summer water use (i.e., watering twice a week), the pond level typically decreases by 2–3 feet, so if it’s another dry summer, it’s likely we will be right back in a similar situation as last year,” Woods said.
The Water Commission anticipates that the current watering restrictions, coupled with the increased use of the Tower Road well, will minimize the drawdown of the pond level. The panel will continue to monitor the pond level and the town’s water demand on a monthly basis to determine if the water restriction requires further adjustment. Anyone with questions may call Woods at 781-259-1329.