Effective Friday, July 8th
A DROUGH ADVISORY has been issued by the MASSACHUSETTS DROUGHT MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE
MANDATORY NON-ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR WATER USE IS LIMITED TO ONE-DAY-PER WEEK until further notice:

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During Mandatory Restriction when is outdoor water use permitted?
  • Precinct 1, 1A: Outdoor water use is allowable → MONDAY → Before 9 am or After 5pm
  • Precinct 2: Outdoor water use is allowable → TUESDAY → Before 9 am or After 5 pm
  • Precinct 3: Outdoor water use is allowable → WEDNESDAY → Before 9 am or After 5 pm
  • Precinct 4: Outdoor water use is allowable → THURSDAY → Before 9 am or After 5 pm
  • Precinct 5: Outdoor water use is allowable → FRIDAY → Before 9 am or After 5 pm
  • OUTDOOR WATER USE IS PROHIBITED ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY DURING DROUGHT ADVISORY unless exempt or otherwise noted.

[button url=”https://sudbury.ma.us/clerk/precinct-numbers-for-streets-in-sudbury/” class=”button” size=”large” color=”green” target=”_self” lightbox_content=”” lightbox_description=””] FIND YOUR PRECINCT NO BY STREET NAME→ [/button]

What is considered non-essential? Using water outdoors for any purpose other than watering a vegetable garden.
  • Car-wash fundraising should be scheduled before May 1 or after Sept 30 to avoid possibility of cancellation during period of mandatory restriction.
WATER RESTRICTION GUIDELINES 
 
Nonessential outdoor water uses that are subject to mandatory restriction include:
  • Watering established lawns and ornamentals by means of surface sprinklers or underground irrigation systems (outside of your assigned watering day and allowable time).
  • Washing of vehicles other than by means of a commercial car wash, except as necessary for operator safety.
  • Washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.
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The following uses may be allowed even when mandatory restrictions are in place:
  • Watering to establish a newly seeded lawn or newly planted ornamentals by means of surface or underground irrigation systems during the months of May and September.
  • Vegetable gardens.
  • Irrigation of public parks and recreational fields (outside of the hours of 9 am to 5 pm).
  • Watering lawns, gardens, flowers and other ornamentals by means of a “hand-held” hose.
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    EXEMPTIONS:  
  • For health or safety reasons.
  • By regulation.
  • For the production of food and fiber.
  • For the maintenance of livestock.
  • To meet the core functions of a business (for 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).
[accordion title=”Why was Sudbury placed in Mandatory Outdoor Water Restriction?” active=”no”]Water use for the Sudbury Water District is regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. As a public water supplier we are issued a Water Management Act Permit which allows us to withdraw a certain amount of water from the Sudbury/Assabett/Concord River Basin. Restrictions are placed on water use when streamflow in the Concord River (in Lowell) falls below a specified level; as part of this standard, whenever a drought advisory or higher is declared by the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force, Sudbury must implement a Mandatory Nonessential Outdoor Water Use Restriction. [/accordion]
[accordion title=”What triggers Sudbury’s outdoor restrictions as designated by MassDEP?” active=”no”]From May 1st through September 30th whenever the Streamflow at the Concord River (below River Meadow Brook, at Lowell) falls below assigned criteria for (3) consecutive days Mandatory Water Restriction for Nonessential Outdoor Water Use will be placed in effect. The “trigger” flow from May 1st through June 30th is below 427 cubic feet per second for (3) consecutive days; from July 1st through September 30th the “trigger” flow is below 156 cubic feet per second for (3) consecutive days. [/accordion]
[accordion title=”How is the trigger level determined?” active=”no”]Levels of restriction are based on the residential per capita per day water use. The MassDEP wants all water systems to be at or below 65 gallons per person per day of use. When the previous year’s water use is above 65 gallons per person per day we are required to enforce more stringent restrictions. In 2015 our use was ABOVE 65 gallons per person per day. [/accordion]
[accordion title=”Once implemented, how long will Mandatory Restriction be in effect?” active=”no”]Restriction for Non-essential Outdoor Water Use will remain in effect through September 30, 2016. [/accordion]
[accordion title=”What are Sudbury’s Water Conservation Standards?” active=”no”]Download Sudbury’s Water Conservation Standards PDF. [/accordion]
[accordion title=”What is the best way to stay informed of restriction status?” active=”no”] Subscribe to our email database and electronic notification will automatically be sent or check back to our website often. [/accordion]iss