FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - WAREHAM WATER DEPT SEASONAL
ODD/EVEN DEMAND MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR LAWN SPRINKLERS
IN EFFECT MEMORIAL DAY TO LABOR DAY
WAREHAM, MA - Given the rainy start to this summer, some may ask why a water ban? Well the short answer is; there is no ban, but we do practice demand management to prevent one. Demand management, or the odd/even "Sprinkler Ordinance," is in effect from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
In 2002, the Wareham Water Department developed a water conservation plan to comply with an Administrative Order issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The plan, known as the "sprinkler ordinance," is codified in the District's Rules and Regulations. "Some sort of water conservation plan is a requirement under the Water Management Act," said Michael Martin, Superintendent for the Wareham Water Department. "The intent of demand management is to prevent a water shortage rather than to respond to one with a ban; the odd/even sprinkler ordinance is the least restrictive, yet most effective means of water conservation we have."
Demand management applies only to lawn sprinklers; using a hand held hose is not restricted.
The purpose of demand management is to reduce lawn watering during periods of peak demand. Sprinkler usage is restricted to every other day from Memorial Day to Labor Day. If your street address is an even number, water the lawn on even numbered calendar days. If you have an odd, numbered street address, water your grass on odd numbered days.
Without demand management, the District can only maintain water pressure by running all six well pumps at full capacity 24-hours a day. This could result in a breakdown of a well, and a failure of a well would result in a water shortage right when the need is the greatest. As such, the District does enforce the policy and penalties do apply.
For newly seeded lawns, the policy permits a twenty-day exemption. Copies of the odd/even demand management policy, and the new lawn exemptions, are available at the Wareham Water Department Office located at 2550 Cranberry Highway.
May 12, 2008
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