City of Dover implements mandatory water use restrictions

posted on 8/22/2022; updated 8/23/2022

Effective immediately, the City of Dover is implementing a mandatory, citywide ban on outdoor water use to ensure an adequate and sustainable water supply throughout the city into the fall and winter months.

Drought conditions in Dover and southern Strafford County are now severe, prompting the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to urge affected communities to invoke mandatory water restrictions. With drought conditions persisting, along with the Pudding Hill aquifer offline, City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., issued an emergency order on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, enabling water restrictions on nonessential outdoor water use, per City Ordinance 121-51.

"At this time, we cannot predict how long the outdoor water ban will remain, but it is likely to extend into the early fall when we should see more regular beneficial precipitation," Joyal said.

The order comes after consultation with the city's contracted hydrogeologists tasked with monitoring the city's aquifer levels. They've noted that Dover has recorded as much as 11 inches of precipitation below average this year.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has classified Dover as being in a severe drought since the beginning of the month. Moderate drought conditions persisted in July, and abnormally dry conditions emerged in mid-May.

Outdoor water restrictions

Under the emergency order, the following outdoor water use restrictions are in place:

No outside lawn watering or irrigation, including automatic sprinklers, automatic irrigation; systems, and no unattended lawn watering;
No washing of vehicles, including automobiles, trailers and trucks;
No filling of swimming pools of 100 gallons or greater.

Hand watering of gardens and new plantings is allowed. Commercial car washes, agriculture operations, flower shops and garden centers are not affected by the restrictions at this time.

Water conservation efforts by all water users, including well users, will reduce the demands on Dover’s water supplies, reduce stress on water resources, and ensure sufficient water is available to meet all customer and emergency operation needs, such as fire supply. The emergency order will be enforced by public outreach, followed by warnings to those in violation, and fines of up to $250 per violation, if necessary. For specific questions about the water restrictions, including usage, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.

In addition to the mandatory water restrictions outdoors, there are several other ways users can help conserve water, including:

Cutting back on shower times, only doing 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 NHDES water-efficiency fact sheets at https://go.usa.gov/x6ADQ.
Fix leaks, including running toilets. 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.

Water users can learn more about current drought conditions, outdoor water use restrictions, water efficiency tips, and drought guidance at http://bit.ly/DROUGHTNH.

Find information about Dover's water ban at https://www.dover.nh.gov/waterban/. For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450