Water district urges customers to save water

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A quick glance at the Piscataquis River or other body of water will reveal an unusually low water level.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

A NEED TO CONSERVE WATER — A low Piscatquis River flows by Browns Mill Park in Dover-Foxcroft. With drought conditions impacting the region, the Dover & Foxcroft Water District has issued a water conservation request to its customers in the hopes of preventing or holding off a mandatory conservation order.

The Dover & Foxcroft Water District’s water source Salmon Stream Pond has not been immune to the effects of the current drought conditions with the shoreline extending further than normal. As a result, several weeks ago the district issued a water conservation request in the hopes of reducing future problems while district officials work to address the issue.

Dover & Foxcroft Water District Superintendent Matthew Demers said he does not believe the district has ever issued a water conservation request before. Salmon Stream Pond has plenty of water for the short term, but he is concerned that a lack of significant rain during the fall may drop the pond to critical levels during the winter months due to a a slowed recharge from streams and ponds icing over.

“Rain that’s what we need right now,” Demers said. “Six inches of rain would help a lot, as long as it gets to the pond and is not soaked into the ground leading to the pond.”

He said the best scenario would have the half dozen inches of rainfall over a week or two, and not lead to a large amount of runoff that could make treatment more difficult. “A mere six inches would make me breath a bit easier.”

“We can do a mandatory conservation order but we hope not to,” Demers said. He said under such an order those with excessive water use could be fined – the financial penalty for violations is determined by the Maine Public Utilities Commission – or have service disconnected.

“At no point do we ever want to shut people off,” Demers said. “But also water isn’t free, it costs money to treat it and get it sent right to your door.”

In order to help prevent a water conservation order, the Dover & Foxcroft Water District has asked customers to refrain from using water for non-essential purposes. These activities include watering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, driveways and siding and those using garden hoses are asked to not let the water run.

“The good thing is gardens are done now and people are done watering their lawns,” Demers said. He said businesses want to have their company vehicles look nice and clean but these establishments are being asked to refrain from washing until the conservation request has been rescinded.

Demers said specific requests have not been made to the car washes in town as the district does not want to hurt business, but should the drought continue then a request to reduce hours of operation, or more, could be made.

In the meantime, district customers can help by not letting water run when brushing their teeth and shaving. Dishes can be scraped instead of rinsed before being placed in the dishwater, which should only be run when full. Washing machines should be set at the correct load size, and the district has requested customers take quick showers and only fill tubs enough to get clean.

“There is only so much people really can do to hold back,” Demers said. He said the district is monitoring water usage to identify and fix leaks in the system.

“With our monitoring system we get reports of leaks or intermittent leaks,” Demers said. “Normally we try to get as many we can to help those people and now we are really taking that list and working on it.” He said correcting a leak will also help reduce the customer’s bill.

Demers said the district is working with several state agencies and engineers on a potential project to extend the line deeper into Salmon Stream Pond. “That would be one of the quickest fixes to get us through,” he said if the extension is feasible. Another possibility being looked into are alternate sources to supplement or replace the pond.

“We are not doing hydrant flushing this year,” Demers said about a task normally done in the fall. He said flushing is done more for esthetic than health reasons as “anything with health concerns we will take care of.”

The water conservation request was posted on the district Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DFWaterDistrict/, which includes more information and updates moving forward. The district can also be reached at 564-2310.

“It’s truly a serious thing going on, everybody needs to work together to slow down their water use,” Demers said.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

VISIBLE PIPE — People can see water main running across the Piscataquis River for the Dover & Foxcroft Water District near the Essex Street bridge as a result of the low water level.