Water Usage Restrictions Notice 2020

See this Message below from the DPW and the Town of Westborough Massachusetts: For the Year 2020.

Westborough has issued a Mandatory Water Use Restriction in accordance with its DEP Water Management Act Permit.

Prohibited Water Uses Between the Hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:
Irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems.
Washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety.
Washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.

The following uses are allowed:
Irrigation to establish a new lawn and new plantings during the months of May and September.
Irrigation of public parks and recreation fields by means of automatic sprinklers outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Irrigation of lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants by means of a hand held hose.

Water uses NOT subject to mandatory restrictions are those required:
For health of safety reasons,
By regulation,
For the production of food or fiber,
For the maintenance of livestock; or
To meet the core function of a business (example, irrigation by golf courses as necessary to maintain tees, greens, and limited fairway watering, or irrigation by plant nurseries as necessary to maintain stock).

Why is this important?

The Commonwealth recently declared certain areas, including Westborough, at “Level 2 – Significant Drought”. Level 4 is the most severe and is identified as an “Emergency Drought”.

Taking the above listed actions can help us avoid moving to a higher level and imposing more significant restrictions.

Please do your part to conserve water! Thank you.

Town of Westborough Bylaws
Article 40 Water Use Restrictions

Section 9. Penalties.

Any person violating this Bylaw shall be liable to the Town in the amount of $50 for the first violation and $100 for each subsequent violation which shall inure to the Town for such uses as the Board of Selectmen may direct. Fines shall be recovered by indictment, or on complaint before the District Court, or by non-criminal disposition in accordance with Section 21D of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws.

In addition, and not in limitation to the foregoing, the Town, upon notification provided for in Section 6, may restrain the use of water on public or private premises by shutting off the water pursuant to the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 40, Section 41A and pursuant to the State of Water Supply Emergency declared by the Department of Environmental Protection.