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Select Board continues mandatory nonessential outdoor water ban as town well returns to service
Summary
After the Lincoln Street well returned to service, town staff recommended keeping a Level 3 nonessential outdoor water ban; the board voted to continue the ban while asking staff to simplify public guidance on "what's allowed" and to monitor Gravely Pond recharge.
The Select Board voted to continue the town's mandatory nonessential outdoor water ban after staff reported the Lincoln Street well is back online and Gravely Pond remains below full capacity.
Tony Barletta, the town administrator, told the board the Lincoln Street well had returned to service and that Gravely Pond was about 26 feet, with the full level at 31. "Since the water ban, we've been routinely down to 500 to 600,000 gallons per day," Barletta said, adding that demand had crept back up toward 700,000–800,000 gallons per day in the prior week. Barletta and water staff said shifting more pumping to Lincoln Street would allow Gravely Pond to recharge under current demand patterns.
Board members debated whether to loosen parts of the ban — including allowing private car washing or boat washing — and pressed staff to produce clear public-facing materials listing permitted and prohibited activities. One member said residents need "one slide" or handout describing "here's what you can do, here's what you can't do," to reduce confusion.
The motion to continue the mandatory ban as presented in the select-board packet passed by majority vote; one board member recorded a dissent on a specific item during an earlier related motion. Staff will monitor daily usage numbers and adjust pumping as needed while the board reviews the communication materials that Barletta promised to produce.
