Boonsboro limits water use

June 13, 1997

By BRENDAN KIRBY

Staff Writer

BOONSBORO - Town officials Thursday ordered residents not to water their lawns in an effort to conserve a depleted reservoir.

Mayor Charles F. "Skip" Kauffman Jr. said the reservoir is low because of a combination of dry weather and an accident that occurred at the town's carnival two weeks ago. He said an ice truck struck a utility pole, which knocked out power to a pump at the Warrenfeltz spring.

Kauffman said town officials did not discover the problem until the next day. during the 19 hours the pump was off, the reservoir dropped a couple of feet, Kauffman said.

"The reservoir has never been able to recover since then because of the lack of rain," he said.

Councilman Kevin Chambers, chairman of the Utilities Commission, said the reservoir is at 37 inches, down from a maximum capacity of 191/2 feet. He said officials would like it to be 18 feet or better.

Kauffman said state regulations also have played a role. The Maryland Department of Environment has prevented the town from using water from its Crestview pump until it builds a $3.1 million filtration system - a step Kauffman has questioned.

For now, the water ban applies only to watering lawns. But Chambers asked residents to voluntarily curtail other high-use activities as well.

"Whenever we have to issue water advisories, we try to limit it as much as possible," he said.

Violating the order can result in a fine, Chambers said.

If the town does not get sufficient rain, Chambers said other water uses may be added to the ban. He said bans have been issued in the past, but usually not until later in the summer.

He said it is too soon to tell if the ban will last long, but Kauffman said the early timing is a worry since July and August are typically dry months.

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