The town’s Water and Sewer Department released the following information on Tuesday.

Due to the continued severe drought, watering restrictions remain in place. No lawn watering is permitted. The only permitted uses are the hand watering of plants, shrubs or gardens before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Exemptions include for health or safety reasons, for the production of food and fiber, for the maintenance of livestock, or to meet core functions of a business. We are now at over an 8-inch rain deficit for the year with no significant rain in sight through the remainder of the month. Anyone who still has their lawn sprinklers on needs to shut them off immediately. As seen by the major fire in town recently and the need to fight it with a significant amount of water, we need to ensure a safe and adequate supply for fire protection and essential daily needs.

The restrictions will remain in place indefinitely, past the normal end of September time frame. It will take many significant rain events and snowmelt from the winter to return groundwater levels to normal.