Watering lawns by any means is now prohibited until further notice, but the Water Commission carved out some exceptions to the draconian Stage 4 water restrictions it imposed earlier last week. It also clarified that the restrictions apply equally to those who use private well water, not just those on town water.
The commission was bombarded with questions after its July 26 announcement that outdoor watering via sprinklers and, in many cases, even by handheld hose was prohibited in light of the continuing drought. In emails to LincolnTalk, residents asked if the latest rules applied to things like watering vegetable gardens or new landscaping plantings.
Water Department Superintendent Darin LaFalam told the commission that state guidelines were vague, requiring only restrictions on “nonessential watering,” but that state law does indeed empower towns to apply the rules to those who are not using the public water supply. Of Lincoln’s roughly 1,500 households, about 200 have private wells.
“There’s going to be a firestorm,” Commission Chair Ruth Ann Hendrickson predicted when well owners learn their outdoor watering habits have the same restrictions.
Stage 4 restrictions prohibit any outdoor watering except via drip irrigation once a week, but Hendrickson clarified in a LincolnTalk email last week that hand-watering by hose of personal vegetable gardens and watering of non-vegetable plantings using a bucket or watering can would be allowed.
At their July 29 meeting, the commission discussed the various questions that had been raised, and members voted to allow the following exceptions, and only between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.:
- Vegetable gardens may be hand-watered as needed, since they fall under the state food production exemption.
- The town pool, tennis courts, and playing fields may get the minimum amount of water needed to ensure they can continue to operate because they are considered “essential to the mission” of the body that oversees them (the Park and Recreation Department). However, the toddler fountain at Codman Pool will be turned off. LaFalam had previously suggested that Parks and Rec use a pool cover when Codman Pool was closed to reduce evaporation. But Parks and Rec was reluctant to do so for safety reasons in case someone used the pool illegally and got trapped under the cover, he said. However, he will ask them look into using a liquid chemical solar cover.
- Recently planted landscaping that needs more frequent watering to become established may be watered by hand or with drip irrigation as required, preferably just once a week. No new flora may be planted during this time.
- Conservation agencies (i.e., the Conservation Commission and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust), which install and maintain native plants to keep invasive species at bay, may also water those plants as needed.
- Power washing houses and decks is not allowed, nor is window washing that uses water, but if a painting or repair job has already been scheduled or is underway, the homeowner may ask the Water Department for an individual exemption.
As noted when the State 3 restrictions were put in place, Water Department staff will drive around town and leave warning cards at home where they see sprinklers running. A second violation will result in a letter and subsequent violations will result in fines.
The department will make every effort to contact homeowners with automatic sprinkler systems who are away on vacation, but if the sprinklers are still running after a month, they will consider shutting off the water supply to the home.
The short period of time between the Stage 3 and Stage 4 declarations may cause some confusion. The Water Department included a notice of the Stage 3 restrictions with the quarterly water bills that just went out in the mail, but those notices are “already obsolete,” LaFalam said.
Lincoln is not in immediate danger of running low on water; Flint’s Pond is actually “at a normal state for this time of year,” LaFalam said. However, the groundwater level is seven feet lower than it was in December, something that was discovered when workers recently drilled test holes for the planned new town well on Tower Road. The existing well system was recently cleaned with the goal of increasing its capacity until the new well can come online.
“One water” is the guiding principle, LaFalam said, meaning that water from Flint’s Pond, the town well and private wells ultimately comes from the same place, as state regulations recognize. Even if conditions in Lincoln are not dire at the moment, “I think we have an obligation to the wider area to use our water with restraint,” he said.
