Emergency Repairs Force Burlington Water Ban

BURLINGTON, MA -- Burlington has banned outdoor watering until further notice to make unexpected repairs at the Vine Brook Water Treatment plant. The ban went into effect Thursday and will remain in place until further notice. The ban covers sprinkler systems for lawns, as well as washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.

Violators receive a warning for their first offense. A second offense comes with a $50 fine. Every violation after that carries a $100 fine, according to a notice issued by the town.

Selectmen had previously approved a ban of outside water use between July 16 and 22 Monday as part of scheduled Department of Public Works maintenance on the Mill Pond Treatment Plant. They simultaneously asked Burlington residents to cut back on outdoor watering, as the town's water use has outpaced last years. Burlington has been chronically hard-hit with summer water shortages and is typically one of the first towns in the area to put restrictions on when residents can water their lawns and gardens.

DPW Director John Sanchez told selectmen that the town has already issued 150 warnings for violating watering restrictions this year. During all of last summer, the highest weekly total water usage with 4.2 million gallons; the town has already recorded a week in this year's relatively cool summer of 4.7 million gallons, Sanchez said.

Earlier this year Town Meeting voted to join the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority to end its water shortage problems. But tying into the system will take at least a year, Sanchez said. Selectmen did not rule out a full ban on outside watering if water usage continues at current rates.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).