AMHERST — Despite a recent stretch of warm and mostly dry weather, Amherst officials are not anticipating the need for mandatory or voluntary water restrictions.
Unlike other area communities that have imposed water bans, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said Tuesday that the town’s water supply appears to be adequate and there will not be a need to limit use by households, businesses or institutions such as the University of Massachusetts.
Bockelman said Amherst is on track for staying at the long-term average demand, of 2.5 million gallons of water per day, and that rainfall by July 1 was 1.9 inches above a typical year.
Department of Public Works Assistant Superintendent Amy Rusiecki said these statistics on use and precipitation are not causing any angst.
“Both are trending nicely,” Rusiecki said.
Visual observations also bear this out, with Atkins Reservoir in Shutesbury, one of the main water supplies, at full capacity, rather than 1.1 feet below its normal height, as is customary.
Historically, the town receives 22.1 inches of rain by July 1. This year the town has seen 24 inches.
“We’re in good shape, barring any drastic change in weather,” Rusiecki said.
In mid-June, Northampton imposed a ban on nonessential outdoor water use between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., following the stream flow in the Mill River dropping below 26.3 cubic feet per second over a three-day period.
Days later a similar ban was put in place in Easthampton after the stream flow in the Connecticut River dropped below 7,742 cubic feet per second in May or June. A voluntary ban was put in place in Southampton.
Rusiecki said Amherst’s situation is different from other communities because its water management act permit, issued by the Department of Environmental Protection, is not tied to low stream flows.
This will likely change sometime between 2020 and 2022, when Amherst’s permit is reviewed and additional triggers are placed in it, including the low stream flow or a specific date on which restrictions would occur.
In 2016, Amherst saw just 15.1 inches of rain by July 1 and the demand rose to 3.4 million gallons of daily demand and Atkins fell 3.4 feet below its usual height.
That forced a series of steps, including prohibiting outdoor water use and the possibility of issuing fines. UMass, Amherst College and Hampshire College also took steps to cut water use, and the town eventually took Atkins Reservoir off line to allow it to recharge, getting water primarily from wells in South Amherst.
“As always, we will continue to monitor precipitation, demand and reservoir levels, as well as monitor the state’s Drought Task Force recommendations, to determine if any water use restrictions may be required in town,” Bockelman said.
Rusiecki said water conservation is still encouraged and that people can take steps to reduce how much water they use, such as watering lawns in the morning and reducing the times they wash their vehicles or fill their swimming pools.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.