June 29 -- Ridgefield's Board of Selectmen tonight imposed emergency water restrictions. In a special session called at the request of Bridgeport Hydraulic Co., the town's water supplier, the Selectmen voted unanimously to declare a water emergency and impose restrictions on the use of water across the town.
Using emergency powers authorized to the Selectmen under Town Ord. 7-16, the Selectmen determined that the continuing drought threatens the town's water supply. They then ordered residents and businesses to curtail the use of water in four instances:
With these restrictions, the Selectmen hope to reduce the town's water consumption by about 20%. These four items are part of a list of eleven items included in Ord. 7-16, but since the problem is only in the incipient stages the Selectmen declined to apply every restriction. In addition, the Selectmen avoided imposing the fines ($100 per instance) which 7-16 permits them to levy. If the reductions in consumption do not materialize, the Selectmen will meet again on July 14th and impose more severe restrictions.
The problem is two-fold, explained Selectman Mike Jones. The first part of the problem is the adequate distribution of water, and the second is the supply of water.
The town receives its water from six wells and one lake (Round Pond). On an average day, it uses about 800,000 gallons of water and the pumps run about 12-14 hours a day. This is sufficient to keep the standpipes and storage tanks "topped off" which in turn ensures sufficient water pressure throughout the system.
Recently, the town's water consumption has been in excess of 1.6 MILLION gallons per day. This means the town is sucking water out of the standpipes faster than the pumps can refill them, even running 24-hours per day. Thus the levels in the distribution system have fallen, and the pressure in the system is lower across town. By eliminating these extraneous and discretionary uses of water the system will recharge, normal pressures will be restored, and the wells will have a few hours a day to recharge.
But supply may be the long-term problem. The State of Ct. is supervising water conditions across the state and may, within the next few days, decree that BHC deactivate one, and possibly two, pumps at the Beechwood wells down near Farmingville Road. This would be required to protect the Great Swamp and the water levels in the local rivers. Should this occur, the system will no longer have a capacity of 1.6 million gallons, and severe service disruptions may occur. Therefore, by lowering system demand in advance of this situation, the Selectmen hope to resolve a problem before it becomes a crisis.
Town Ord. 7-16 has been on the books for nearly twenty years, but only used twice before tonight's meeting. Ambiguities in the ordinance make it unclear if the law applies to private wells in addition to the town's public water customers, but the Selectmen expect these rules to apply to all water users in the entire town. The impact of the restrictions on the Ridgefield Golf Course, the Silver Spring Country Club and the town's Parks and Rec Dept., with their numerous and expansive ball fields, is unclear at this time.
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