Water levels in ponds that supply Kittery remain 12 feet below normal heading into winter, and there\u00a0is no end in sight to conservation measures now approaching their eighth week.<\/p>\n
Recent rains raised levels in the Kittery Water District\u2019s reservoirs only by about 3 inches. The district\u2019s restriction, which it describes as \u201csevere,\u201d limits outdoor watering in Kittery and part of neighboring Eliot to nighttime and early morning on certain days of the week.<\/p>\n
The rare shortage comes just as the district heads into its hardest period. Demand from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which uses more than half of the district\u2019s water, rises in winter, while freezing temperatures lock up rain and snow that would refill the ponds. Kittery officials are asking the state to look at the shipyard\u2019s plans for its water system.<\/p>\n
The district gets its water from four ponds and uses about half of the ponds\u2019 total capacity each year. The ponds have failed to refill this year amid an ongoing drought.\u00a0Matthew Berube, the superintendent of Kittery Water District, said there is no end to the restrictions in sight.<\/p>\n
Berube called the low water an \u201cemergency,\u201d saying the ponds are already where they would normally be in midwinter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m at levels in the pond that I would typically see in December and January after three months of my high-usage period,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m already advanced three months ahead of the schedule in water loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local officials said the drought that began last summer<\/a>\u00a0along with heavier development in southern Maine and rising demand from the shipyard caused the shortage. Leaks at the shipyard in April and July<\/a>\u00a0disrupted water service in the district. It\u2019s not clear how much water was lost in the incidents.<\/p>\n The Navy is now starting a multimillion-dollar power and water project at the shipyard that includes a water tank and new water mains. Navy officials say the federally funded project\u2019s on- and off-base utility improvements<\/a>\u00a0will benefit the area. They also say that the shipyard\u2019s water usage has decreased from historic amounts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe deeply value our neighbors in Kittery and remain committed to transparent, proactive coordination to ensure that shipyard operations do not compromise the services our surrounding communities rely upon,\u201d shipyard spokesperson Jessica Lamarre said in a statement.<\/p>\n