City lifts mandatory water restrictions, officials still urge water conservation

posted on 8/27/2021; updated 8/30/2021

Effective today, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., rescinded the mandatory, citywide ban on outdoor water use implemented on June 30, 2021.

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Joyal said the water levels in the city's drinking water aquifers have returned to levels in past droughts, though he continued to urge water conservation. He also noted that recent rains from Tropical Storm Henri should continue to add water to the aquifers.

Joyal made the "Declaration of Water Emergency" and instituted the "Water Emergency Restrictions" soon after the U.S. Drought Monitor drought declaration for the city on June 22, 2021. The 2021 drought declaration followed a full year of the City of Dover being classified as abnormally dry or in drought conditions, including extreme drought, creating a significant precipitation deficit of more than 10 inches. When Joyal declared the water emergency, many of the City of Dover's drinking water aquifers were below the extended 2016 drought levels. The Pudding Hill aquifer, capable of supplying about 40% of the water demand in the city, was and is offline. Joyal and the Community Services Director electively took the Pudding Hill aquifer offline in 2019, reserving it for emergency use until a water treatment facility is built, expected in the next two years.

Joyal cited the low aquifer levels and the Pudding Hill aquifer as reasons to continue the outdoor water ban, even after one of the rainiest July's on record. Joyal has noted that significant rains do not "automatically recharge the aquifers. It takes time for that water to percolate through the ground and get to the aquifer." Joyal wanted to ensure rebounding aquifer levels before removing restrictions. "We are being extremely cautious with the demands on our system," Joyal told the Council earlier this month.

Joyal urges residents and businesses to continue to be conservative with their water use, avoiding prolonged irrigation if possible and checking and fixing water leaks. There are several ways users can help conserve water, including:

Fix leaks, including running toilets and drippy faucets. Running toilets can waste hundreds of gallons a day. Old and worn toilet flappers are often the culprit and are very easy to replace. Also, some toilet leaks can't be heard. Check for a leak by dropping food coloring (12 drops) or a leak detector dye tablet in the toilet tank. Do not flush for 15 or 20 minutes. If the dye shows up in the bowl, you know that your toilet is running. A simple faucet drip every two seconds can lead to a waste of more than 1,500 gallons per year. See a water drip calculator here: https://drinktap.org/water-info/water-conservation/drip-calculator.
Cutting back on shower times. A typical eight-minute shower uses on average 17.8 gallons of water
Only do full loads of laundry when necessary, and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, doing dishes and washing hands.
Replace old water fixtures and appliances that are wasting water. Top-loading washing machines built before 2003 and toilets older than 1994 are known to be the largest water-wasting culprits in the home. Showerheads older than 1994 can also waste a great deal of water, as can older bathroom sink aerators. Selecting ENERGY STAR certified machines and replacing old water fixtures with EPA WaterSense certified fixtures is an easy way to ensure you are choosing products that will save water and perform. For guidance on selecting ENERGY STAR and WaterSense certified products and more water efficiency tips, see the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services' "We're for Water" website at https://www4.des.state.nh.us/NHisForWater/.

The order rescinding the emergency declaration and emergency water restrictions can be accessed below:

Order and Public Notice Terminating Declaration of Water Emergency (2021 Drought) and Water Emergency Restrictions (2021 Drought)