Can you water your lawn? See which MetroWest communities have water bans in place
Whether your lawn remains green this summer may depend on where you’re living.
While the majority of MetroWest is now in a critical drought, restrictions on water use vary from town to town.
As the majority of Massachusetts faces high temperatures and little rain, Natick recently joined a dozen other communities throughout MetroWest and Greater Milford in restricting non-essential outdoor water use — for example, lawn watering and car washing.
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Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card on Thursday declared a Level 3-Critical Drought in the state’s northeast and central regions. But the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) — which provides partial or full water service to Framingham, Ashland, Marlborough, Weston, Southborough and Northborough — is not experiencing drought conditions, according to a Thursday press release from the state.
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“As the hot temperatures continue and drought conditions worsen, residents can assist by following any local water restrictions for their area and minimizing indoor and outdoor water usage,” said Dawn Brantley, acting director for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, in the release.
Here’s how communities west of Boston are restricting non-essential outdoor water use (information sourced from municipal websites):
Natick
Residents and businesses with an odd-numbered street address must limit non-essential water use to Monday and Thursday between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day. Those with even-numbered addresses are limited to the same hours on Tuesday and Friday.
Milford
Odd-numbered street addresses may use water outdoors on Sunday and Thursday between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.; even-numbered addresses may do so on Tuesday and Saturday.
Franklin
Community members are limited to one day per week of outdoor watering, and sprinklers or automated irrigation systems are restricted to the water user’s trash day. Outdoor watering is prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Hudson
No outdoor car washing or lawn watering by sprinkler or automatic irrigation systems. Watering lawns, gardens, flowers and plants by handheld hose is permissible.
Westborough
Non-essential outdoor water use prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Hopkinton
Non-essential uses — including watering lawns, washing cars and filling or topping off pools — is prohibited. Community members may water flowers, gardens and shrubs by hand before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
Wayland
Non-essential water use is prohibited between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outdoor watering by sprinkler or automatic system allowed only on Wednesdays before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Watering by handheld hose is permissible.
Sudbury
Non-essential outdoor watering is allowed for odd numbered street addresses on Saturday and even numbered addresses on Sunday, before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
Upton
Non-essential outdoor water use is allowed only before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Watering flowers, gardens and shrubs by hand is allowed.
Hopedale
Outdoor water usage is allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays for odd-numbered houses and Wednesdays and Fridays for even-numbered houses, outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Holliston
Even-numbered houses may water lawns and wash vehicles, sidewalks or buildings before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Odd-numbered houses may do so on Wednesdays and Fridays. Outdoor water use is prohibited between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hand-held watering is allowed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
Millis
All non-essential outdoor water uses are prohibited, except watering flower gardens and ornamental plants with drip irrigation, hand-held hoses or watering cans.
Medway
No outside watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The use of in-ground sprinkler systems is prohibited at all times. Odd street numbers are permitted to hand water on odd-numbered calendar days; even street numbers are limited to even-numbered calendar days.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MetroWest, Greater Milford communities with water restrictions
