Topics: Drinking Water , Climate Change

A sign at the entrance of Nickerson State Park reminds campers of the fire danger posed by the drought. By special order, open flame and charcoal fires are prohibited in state parks until further notice. ALAN POLLOCK PHOTO

Despite recent short-lived rainstorms, the Cape Cod region remains extremely dry, leading the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force to upgrade the drought status from “significant” to “critical” last Wednesday.

Though issuing mandatory water conservation measures is up to individual communities, the task force urges people to cease all non-essential outdoor water use. Essential uses include ones that protect health and safety or are needed for agriculture or to meet the “core functions” of a business.

“As the summer continues and low precipitation couples with high temperatures, it is incredibly important that outdoor watering be limited to essential uses to reduce the strain on local water systems,” a task force statement reads. “Drought-like conditions can also be detrimental to delicate habitats and ecosystems, and can directly impact outdoor recreational opportunities.”

One such disruption is at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, where open fires and charcoal grills have been temporarily banned at its more than 400 campsites. Elsewhere in the state, crews have been battling stubborn forest fires in state parks and other open tracts of land, thanks to the lack of rainfall.

As of press time Tuesday, the Lower Cape towns each had different sets of water restrictions in place. In Chatham, an order on Aug. 10 prohibited the use of automatic lawn sprinklers and washing of sidewalks, driveways and vehicles. Hand watering is allowed only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between midnight and 7 a.m. and between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sprinkler use is also prohibited in Orleans, where outdoor watering must be hand-held or through drip irrigation techniques, and only after 5 p.m. and before 9 a.m. In Harwich, irrigation systems are off limits and hand watering is allowed between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m., and between 5 and 9 p.m. In Brewster, irrigation systems can be used but only on odd or even days based on a property’s street number. All outdoor watering must happen between 4 and 8 a.m. or between 5 and 9 p.m. The rules could change with little notice, so residents are encouraged to check their town’s website.

Enforcing those rules has proven challenging for towns. In Harwich, on the weekend of Aug. 20 and 21, the water department received 172 complaints. Water and Wastewater Superintendent Dan Pelletier said many callers assume that the department is not issuing fines, but it is. First-time offenders in Harwich receive a written warning, each of which has to be individually drafted, a time-consuming process. If they are found to be in violation a second time, they are assessed a $100 fine, which jumps to $300 for third and subsequent offenses. It is the first time in the department’s history that it has had to enforce rules this way, Pelletier said.

Communities are encouraging all residents – even those on private wells – to comply with the water conservation rules. Some of those residents have complained publicly that the request is unfair, since there is no shortage of water in the aquifer that feeds public and private wells alike, just a shortage of pumping capacity in certain town water systems. They argue that, by using private wells, they’re actually reducing the strain on public water systems.

Chatham Health and Natural Resources Director Robert Duncanson said there are reasons the town encourages all water users to observe the restrictions, and not just because the water all comes from the same aquifer.

“It’s consistency across all users. It’s doing the right thing,” he said. Also, it’s particularly in the interest of private well owners to reduce the stress on the aquifer, since private wells are dug shallower than town wells. If groundwater levels drop far enough, “they could actually go dry,” he said. If that were to happen, the tables would be turned and private well owners would have to go without, even if the town’s water system had plenty of capacity, Duncanson said.

A float in the 2003 Harwich Cranberry Festival Parade marked the 50th anniversary of the Harwich Historical Society. The society’s museum was a school for many years, though it’s not clear if they actually used a dunce cap for unruly students. FILE PHOTO

The Cape Cod Chronicle is an independent weekly newspaper covering the towns of Chatham, Harwich and Orleans, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.

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