The Town of Manchester is in the middle of a drought situation. We at the Public Works Department cannot stress enough the importance of Conservation of Water during this time.
Everyone wants to help conserve valuable resources and water is one of the most valuable we have. We couldn't live without it. The following are a few suggestions that each individual or family can do to help:
1. Check every faucet in your home for leaks. A slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons of water a day. Fix it and you could save almost 6,000 gallons a year.
2. Put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. Let it stand for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons or more of water a day from one of these invisible toilet leaks.
3. Try to cut back on time in the shower or the depth of bath water.
4. Try to use automatic dish washers and clothes washing machines with full loads only.
5. Should you hear water running through your pipes or see water pooling around your house, running down the street, DO NOT WAIT, contact the Town Office ASAP at 410-239-3200 or 410-492-0516.
In addition, please follow these few preventive tips before going on vacation, so that when you return, hopefully you won't be faced with any water-related problems.
1. Inspect all your interior water pipes and valves for leaks.
2. Make sure the valves are shut off to your washing machine hoses.
3. Make sure all outside spigots and hose bibs are shut off utilizing the inside valve.
4. Make sure the last person out of your home checks all the sinks, spigots, and especially the bathroom toilets to make sure all the toilet tanks have filled and have shut off before leaving.
5. Should you be on vacation for an extended period of time, contact the Town of Manchester and we will shut off your water at the curb valve until you return.
Why a Water Ban and When Will It Be Lifted? Over the last several months all of the Employees of the Town of Manchester have been asked the question, "Why A Water Ban and When Will It Be Lifted?"
In the following article I am going to talk about the status of the current water supply for the area. Something for everyone to understand is that everybody is in this together. To the readers outside the Town of Manchester, this does affect you also. Just because you have a private well does not make it any less of a severe situation.
As everyone should know by now, we are in a very severe drought emergency in this region. What many people do not understand is that even when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming and we are getting small amounts of rain, people still ask "Why won't you let me wash my car or top off my pool?"
The situation that we are currently in started last year around August. We started into the fall and winter months with the water table showing signs of dropping. Of course, with the very mild winter that this area had and also very small amounts of snow, the water table was not able to replenish itself. In fact starting into the spring months we were approx. 10.5" behind on precipitation. Currently we are about 10" behind. During the winter months is the time when the water table has a chance to build back up due to the fact that all the vegetation is dormant.
Our water supply at the current time is in a very severe condition. Currently 4 of our 7 wells are at levels that are the lowest ever. In 2 of our production wells, Town Operators have had to reduce the amount of gallons that we withdraw to keep water levels at a safe level so the well is not dewatered. Our Walnut Street Spring flow is half of what it was in previous years. Currently the spring flow is 43 gallons per minute. Last year at this time it was 80 gallons per minute.
Many things are taken into consideration before such a water ban is placed on the system. It's not just telling people that they can't wash their car or top off the pool. Water suppliers like the Town of Manchester must look at situations that the public may not. One of the major items is Fire Protection and keeping enough water in storage in case of a major fire. Another is the amount of water that is lost during a water main break and being able to have enough water to restore the system to a normal condition. Another is revenue loss and balancing the Operating and Capitol Budgets because less water is being used due to conservation.
At the present time there is no consideration at all of lifting the water ban. As everyone knows, water is a natural resource. We need water to survive and we can't manufacture it. I don't want to startle people, but my advice to everyone is if we start today in making water conservation a way of life, we will hopefully have enough water for the future.
Responsibilities of the Department of Public Works
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* Operation and maintenance of:
-500,000 gallons per day wastewater treatment
facility
-500,000 gallons per day spray irrigation
facility
-Wastewater collection system including 7 pump
stations
-Wastewater distribution system including 5
wells and 1 spring
* Water distribution system including 5 wells
and 1 spring
* Reading of approximately 1,100 water meters
* Maintenance/repairs and snow removal to
approximately 15 miles of streets
* Maintenance/grass mowing/general upkeep
to 3 parks (approximately 200 acres)
* Maintenance/general upkeep of 38 structures
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