East Lyme Issues Voluntary Water Conservation Notice to Residents

EAST LYME, CT – The water department issued a voluntary water conservation notice to residents Monday.

Extended periods of dry weather has prompted the Connecticut Department of Public Health to issue a Drought Advisory, according to a release. In light of this, the East Lyme Water Department is asking customers to reduce their water use.

Capacity from the town's water supply is adequate to meet normal demand, including fire protection, but the prolonged low precipitation is adding stress to the supply.

Much of the demand can be attributed to watering of lawns and summer population increases. In order to meet essential demand and better manage remaining supplies, the Water Department offers the following water conservation measures that can be taken with a goal to reduce water use by 10 percent:

• Reduce outdoor water use. Lawn watering should be minimized. Grass should not be mowed too short and should not be watered during midday when water is lost through evaporation. Lawns and gardens should be watered only as necessary and not on a daily basis.
• Consider the use of rain barrels to harvest rainwater.
• Pools should be filled from sources other than by municipal water.
• Outdoor washing of vehicles and boats should be kept to a minimum. A sound alternative is using a commercial car wash where water is recycled.
• Washing of buildings and outdoor surfaces should be minimized.
• All normal conservation practices should continue to be followed. These include repairing leaks, not running water unnecessarily, and taking care not to waste water.

For more information, residents can contact the Water Department at 860-739-6931.