Peterborough to institute water use restrictions amid persistent drought

PETERBOROUGH — The town will implement mandatory water use restrictions effective Wednesday in response to continued drought conditions throughout the Monadnock region.

Customers utilizing the Peterborough public water system are prohibited from filling swimming pools and washing cars and boats, except at professional cleaning places, the town's Public Works Department said in a news release onTuesday.

Other restrictions include limiting lawn watering to between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Homes with even-numbered addresses may only water during these hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Odd-numbered houses may only water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Essential water uses such as firefighting and medical treatment are not prohibited, while domestic water use conservation practices should be practiced wherever possible, the release states. Peterborough's restrictions are in place until further notice. Individuals not complying with the limitations face fines of up to $500 per day of non-compliance, potential suspension of water services and other civil penalties.

Peterborough's restrictions come about a month into a moderate drought throughout most of the Monadnock region, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federally funded project. All but the northern tip of New Hampshire is experiencing drought conditions, according to the latest Drought Monitor report issued last Thursday, including a severe drought that stretches from the southeastern corner of Cheshire County northeast to the Seacoast and eastern Strafford County.

Statewide, 65 community water systems and six municipalities have outdoor water use restrictions in place, all of two of which are mandatory, according to the N.H. Department of Environmental Services. No other Monadnock region communities were on the department's list of outdoor water use restrictions, which was last updated Thursday.

Other area municipalities, such as Keene and Swanzey, do not currently have any restrictions in place. Keene Public Works Director Kürt Blomquist said groundwater and surface water levels have generally dropped, but not significantly.

"We're around or slightly below average for this time of year," Blomquist said.

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Sly Karasinski, superintendent of the North Swanzey Water and Fire Precinct, said the town of Swanzey does not have any water use restrictions. The precinct is a continuation of Keene's water system, meaning if Keene has restrictions, so does Swanzey.

In Peterborough, Seth MacLean, the town's public works operations director, said public water system users can take simple steps such as turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth to save water at home.

"Only running dishwashers and washing machines when they are full can go a long way, especially when combined with the efforts of the wider community, to helping reduce water usage," MacLean said, in an email to The Sentinel on Tuesday.

MacLean also added upgrading older bath fixtures and toilets in favor of low-flow models can also reduce water usage and help users save on utility bills. Looking for leaks can also save money, as leaking toilets can go undetected for long periods of time and result in hundreds of gallons of water being wasted from just one leaking toilet.

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Tom Benoit can be reached 603-352-5993 or tbenoit@keenesentinel.com.

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