The city of Concord is asking all water customers to continue to use water wisely and additionally is requesting all customers to suspend all non-essential outdoor water use, such as lawn irrigation, with the exception of hand watering vegetable gardens and newly planted vegetation. The New Hampshire Drought Management Team and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services are urging the public to conserve and is advising against lawn watering.
The drought has worsened. Originally severe conditions in the southeastern area of the state have intensified to extreme conditions and are expanding. The average yearly precipitation in Concord is 40.6 inches and currently only 20.8 inches have been received. Despite recent rain, Concord remains 8.6 inches below average for this time of year. Rain and snow are urgently needed to restore groundwater resources to sustain drinking water supplies for next year.
“Our biggest concern is not receiving sufficient snowfall this winter to restore the Penacook Lake watershed. If precipitation levels remain this way through winter, we will need to consider implementing a water ban next year,” said Chip Chesley, director of Concord General Services.
Outdoor water use is significant, and eliminating it is an effective means of conserving water. Letters have been mailed to approximately 700 irrigation service accounts urging for the suspension of lawn watering.
There are some small tasks that can make a big difference over time, like turning off faucets while washing dishes and hands, only washing full loads of laundry, taking shorter showers and fixing any household leaks. The city requests residents to adopt these water saving habits throughout the year to help reduce demand on our community’s water resources. Conservation recommendations are available at concordnh.gov/ conservation to find new ways to use water wisely.
Angelina Zulkic
