There is a water shortage in the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply District (MRVWD) and, in addition to Marion’s own bylaw already restricting outdoor water usage in the summertime, the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department has now placed a mandatory outdoor water usage restriction on Mattapoisett residents until further notice.
The Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department held an emergency meeting on August 7 and approved the emergency water restriction for the Town of Mattapoisett, which allows for outdoor water usage only between the hours of 6:00 am to 8:00 am, and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Houses with even addresses will be allowed to use outdoor water on even-number days, limited to those four hours per day, and odd-number addresses can use outdoor water on odd-number days.
For example, an even-number address can water on the dates of August 14, 16, and 18, and odd-number addresses can water on August 15, 17, and 19. Any household can use outdoor water on August 31, but only during the restricted four hours.
“We need to be able to preserve a certain amount of water in our storage tanks in the event … [of] a major fire,” said Nicholson during the meeting. “[The hours] should be more than ample to take care of any kind of gardens or lawns and be able to help maintain the needed water that we have.”
The water shortage is the result of a problem with the Fairhaven Tinkham Lane well, which, on average, provides roughly 1.5 million of gallons per day.
“We are in a situation where we have been blessed so far with cooler weather and we’ve had some rain,” said Nicholson. “But around the corner, I’m quite certain that there will be warm weather … and heavy usage because of the lack of rain.”
The Town of Marion already has its own mandatory outdoor water restriction effective June 15 to September 15, which restricts outdoor water usage to the same hours, 6:00 to 8:00 am and pm; the only difference is that even-number houses may use water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while odd-number house can use outdoor water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In addition, Marion residents may wash their vehicles and water their plants using a hand-held hose only on Sundays between 6:00 am and 12:00 pm.
Nicholson at first estimated that the well would be back online the following week, but he had no assurance of that, adding that it could end up taking a month before the problem is fixed. On August 13, Nicholson said he anticipated the problem would be fixed by the end of this week, and possibly tested for quality the week of August 18.
“That’s my optimistic outlook,” said Nicholson during a follow-up phone interview. “We’re starting to get things back together.”
As for violating the water restriction in Mattapoisett, since the department in still getting the word out, a first offense would be a verbal warning. Any subsequent offense would be a $100 fine.
“We’re first trying to educate the people on what’s going on,” said Nicholson. “We are still trying to get the word out to people.”
There are fines for violating the Marion water restriction, as well. A first-time violation would result in a $50 fine, and a second strike would result in $100 fine.
As part of the MRVWD Commission, Fairhaven is also under a mandatory water restriction until further notice.
If you have any questions, you can call the Marion Department of Public Works at 508-748-3540 or the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department at 508-758-4161.
By Jean Perry
