SOUTHWICK — Restrictions on outdoor water use in town were lifted July 9, according to Public Works Director Randy Brown.
“We had seven consecutive days with the flows above 174 cubic feet per second,” Brown said that day, referring to the Westfield River.
On June 11, the town’s water commissioners imposed outdoor water use restrictions because of the low flow of the Westfield River for three consecutive days in late May. The restrictions banned the use of town water outdoors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and allowed early-morning and evening water use just one day a week, with different parts of town using water on different days.
“Essential” water use for agriculture or as a core function of a business, or for safety reasons, was exempted from the ban.
According to the town’s water withdrawal permit issued in 2014 by the state Department of Environmental Protection, when the Westfield River water flow dips below 502 cubic feet per second for three consecutive days in May or June, the town has to restrict its non-essential outdoor water use.
A lower threshold is in place during July, August and September, however. During the summer months, water restrictions go into effect if the river’s flow drops below the 174 cubic feet per second threshold for three consecutive days.
Brown said it was possible the restriction could be reimplemented if the region experiences another extended period of dry weather.
According to a weather station monitored by the National Weather Service in southern Westfield, there was 5.9 inches of rain in May, above the historical average of 4.2 inches. Rainfall of 5.8 inches in June was also above the month’s average of 5.08 inches.
Southwick often implements non-essential water use bans even when neighboring towns don’t. That’s because the permit issued by the DEP in 2014 used new criteria that have not yet been imposed on towns operating under older permits, Brown said.
