Village, town order cuts in water usage

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By Matthew Saari

The village and town of Granville both are restricting water usage in their respective municipalities due to extended dry weather.

The village announced its water restriction at its board meeting on Monday.

“It’s been extremely dry,” said Mayor Paul Labas. “We had 1.7 inches of rain in the month of June and our wells are having a tough time keeping up.”

Chief wastewater treatment plant operator Scott Mackey explained that due to the lack of rainfall, the village’s wells are not “recharging” as quickly as normal. As result, Mackey said, village residents should limit water usage during “peak times of the day.”

And so, effective Monday, July 6 village water usage should be limited to after 9 p.m. and before 9 a.m.

“Watering of lawns and gardens should occur after 9 p.m. or before 9 a.m., and automatic sprinkler systems should be set accordingly,” Labas posted to Facebook after the meeting. “Other non-essential use for the purposes of washing cars, filling pools, etc., should also be restricted to the above hours until further notice.”

Two days after the village’s restrictions went into effect, the town enacted similar guidelines.

“It’s mainly our North Granville water district,” said town supervisor Matt Hicks. “It’s been a prolonged dry spell…we’re trying to get out ahead of this.”

Out in the town, outdoor water use is restricted to hand-held hoses only during the hours of 7 to 9 p.m.

To date, Hicks said, the town has been keeping up with demand but is concerned if the weather remains dry the town’s water infrastructure will dry up.

“If we get further dry weather it could be a real issue,” he said.

Water restrictions are not new in the town, but this early in the season is. Last year, the town enacted similar restrictions but at the end of July rather than the beginning of the month.

Neither municipality offered an anticipatory timeline as to when residents can expect the restrictions to be lifted, noting it is all dependent on the weather patterns.