State Officials Urge the Public to Stop Watering Lawns

CONCORD, NH — While rain is in New Hampshire’s forecast for tonight and tomorrow, state officials are urging communities in the Granite State to implement outdoor lawn water bans and are urging the public to stop watering their grass even if communities don’t issue a ban. The officials – including the New Hampshire Drought Management Team (DMT) and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) – met on Sept. 16, 2016, to discuss current drought conditions which, they say, “has become significant worse.”

According to state officials, more than half the state is officially in a drought and extreme drought is moving from the Seacoast farther into the southern part of the state.

“Low stream flows and low groundwater levels extend beyond the currently designated drought area and are occurring across the state,” according to Jim Martin of the NHDES. “There has been a significant uptick in reported private well supplies being depleted in all regions of the state and drought conditions have the potential to continue into the winter. Fall and spring are the two seasons relied upon to recharge groundwater and surface waters; therefore, any rain received before winter is needed to recharge the groundwater to help sustain drinking water supplies through the colder months.”

After the drought management team meeting, Gov. Maggie Hassan, city and town officials, as well as state and federal agencies, held a conference call to discuss the drought, according to Martin. One action urged by the NHDES is the lawn ban. Another is for residents to begin – if they haven’t already – replacing old showerheads, toilets, sink aerators, and washing machines with EPA WaterSense and Energy Star certified products. Those actions will also save energy, according to an alert.

Other effective ways of eliminating water waste in the house include turning off faucets while washing dishes and hands, only washing full loads of laundry, fixing household leaks, and repairing running toilets, which can save also hundreds of gallons a day.

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• Governor Requests Drought Designation for Three NH Counties

“Reliable access to water is critical to public health, public safety and our economy,” said Hassan in a statement. “The severe-to-extreme drought is threatening water levels and reserves across the state, and we must work together to strengthen conservation efforts. It is an important time of year for re-charging our water systems, and if the drought continues, more of our citizens could see their wells run dry this winter. At this time, water conservation is critical to extending the life of private wells and public water systems throughout the state, and I urge all Granite Staters to take steps to conserve water, including those who live outside of currently designated drought areas.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack granted a Secretarial Drought Disaster Designation for additional New Hampshire counties on Friday. Grafton County was designated as a primary natural disaster area and Coos County was added to New Hampshire's contiguous disaster counties.

For current drought information and water efficiency fact sheets, including efficiency tips, go to des.nh.gov, click on the “A-Z” list and scroll down to the NHDES Drought Management Program.