AMHERST — As Amherst’s population swells in the coming weeks with the arrival of thousands of college students, the town manager will be able to impose a mandatory outdoor water use ban should the current drought continue.
The Select Board Monday voted unanimously to give both David Ziomek, interim town manager, and incoming Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who starts Aug. 22, the right to impose an emergency outdoor water use ban.
If such a declaration is made, residents and property owners would be prohibited from using automatic sprinklers and filling swimming pools and would face stricter limits on when lawns could be watered.
A voluntary water ban has been in place since Aug. 2, and Ziomek said he and staff have been meeting with officials from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College and Hampshire College to discuss strategies for how to reduce water use.
“We’ve already begun to work on messaging with them,” Ziomek said.
Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring told the Select Board it is essential to have this new policy in place, observing that move-in day at UMass, set for Sept. 3, is annually the biggest water use day in Amherst. If water use rises and doesn’t go down after that date, a declaration will have to be made, he said.
“That’s the point where it’s got to be done, regardless,” Mooring said.
There are already several mandatory water use bans in the region, including in Hadley, Northampton and Westfield.
“We’ve never gotten to this point in our system,” Mooring said.
The state permits under which the town operates its system allows Amherst to draw up to 4.55 million gallons per day on average.
In July, the town used 400,000 more gallons of water per day than the 10-year average, or 3.3 million gallons compared to 2.9 million gallons, according to figures provided by Mooring.
Mooring explained that the region is in a drought watch and has received just 17.8 inches of precipitation this year instead of the normal 31.5 inches.
“So 14 inches is what we’re short so far,” Mooring said.
This has taken a toll on water supplies, including at Atkins Reservoir in Shutesbury, which can hold 200 million gallons of water, but which is currently at 100 million and 7 feet below full. In mid-July, this prompted the town to start up the Baby Carriage Well, also known as Well 4, in South Amherst. That is about a month earlier than normal.
At its Aug. 29 meeting, the Select Board will continue to discuss water restrictions, including whether to set financial penalties for those who might get caught violating an emergency water use declaration.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com
