An outdoor lawn-watering ban will take effect in Wilton starting this week.
On Friday, Aug. 19, all municipal water system users – residents, businesses, municipal buildings or the school district – will not be allowed to water lawns. Residents are also asked to reduce other non-essential water uses, such as washing cars and power-washing. People on private wells are also strongly encouraged to conserve water.
On Monday, Select Board and Water Commission members approved a temporary lawn-watering ban, based on requirements from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ Instream Flow Program. According to NHDES, Aug. 15 marked 11 consecutive days since the average daily stream flow of the Souhegan River has been below 17 cubic feet per second.
According to Select Board Chair Kermit Williams, who is also on the Water Commission, the river is flowing at about 6 cubic feet per second, the lowest it has been since 1965. On Aug. 17, 2021, the Souhegan River’s average flow was about 105 cubic feet per second, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In accordance to the state’s Souhegan River Water Use Plan, NHDES issued a Stage 3 Water Use Alert to impose a ban on outdoor water until the river’s average stream flow meets or exceeds 17 cubic feet per second for two consecutive days.
On Aug. 10, Peterborough instituted outdoor watering restrictions that included limiting the times residents could water lawns and gardens and prohibited filling swimming pools and washing cars and boats, except at a commercial car wash facility
Wilton Water Commission Chair Tom Schultz said the town is making the right decision to address the drought.
“I think it’s a good idea to follow directions from the state,” said Schultz.
In addition, a drought emergency on the Souhegan River raises environmental concerns. The river is home to five species on the state’s threatened and endangered list, including the Blanding’s turtle and Eastern hognose snake.
Williams said the lawn-watering restriction is based on conservation efforts.
“The goal is to protect what’s left of the water so the wildlife can survive,” said Williams.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, an estimated 400,000 southern New Hampshire residents are currently experiencing moderate to severe drought due to low amounts of rainfall and rising temperatures this month.
Francestown Village Water Company serves between 60 and 70 customers in Francestown, and decided during its meeting Monday to ask people to voluntarily cut back on their use of water because of the ongoing drought.
“We don’t have a good mechanism to control people’s water use, except for shaming people, so for now we’re sending out a link to the New Hampshire of Environmental Services web page asking them to make voluntary cutbacks,” said Larry Ames, the company’s system operator.
Ames said Francestown Village Water Company provides between 50,000 and 60,000 gallons of water a week to its customers, who are mostly on Main Street and includes municipal buildings.
The company is a for-profit company with an all-volunteer board. It uses two bedrock wells that are both gravity-fed in the northern part of town, and Ames said part of the reason for the voluntary restrictions is a well that is not producing at a normal rate.