Norwalk Issues New Water Restriction Warning

NORWALK, CT — The city issued a new warning last week for residents to restrict their water usage, as the state continues to grapple with drought conditions.

On Oct. 28, the city sent out the following Code Red announcement, stressing that reservoir water levels still remain too low:

Attention Norwalk Residents, this is a Code Red message being sent from the Mayor’s Office and Health Department.

As a follow up to the Water Emergency Declaration effective October 9th, all Norwalk residents are hereby informed that the water department’s reservoir levels have reached extremely low levels. Recent efforts to conserve water have not been sufficient to offset the below normal rainfall and residents are urged to make every effort to conserve water needed for essential uses – human consumption, fire protection and sanitation.

The Water Emergency Declaration prohibits outdoor uses such as lawn watering and washing cars, boats and outdoor surfaces. Residents are further urged to save water by running washing machines and dishwashers with full loads only; taking shorter showers and using less bath water; not running water while brushing teeth, shaving or washing dishes; checking toilets for leaks; and repairing them and all fixtures immediately.

For more information or to report a concern, contact First District Water Dept at (203) 847-7387 or SNEW at (203) 866-3366.

Early last month, Mayor Harry Rilling declared a water emergency in Norwalk, which made the following activities temporarily illegal (an end date for water emergency has not yet been disclosed):

1. Sprinkling, watering, or irrigating shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, ground cover, plants and flowers except when these items are intended for sale, is prohibited.
2. Washing automobiles, trucks, trailers, or boats except at automated facilities using no more than 45 gallons of potable water per vehicle is prohibited.
3. Washing or flushing walks, driveways, pavement, porches, or other outdoor surfaces is prohibited.
4. Use of fire hydrants for purposes other than the protection of public safety by a public agency is prohibited.
5. Filling or draining ponds or lakes used for private or public recreational purposes is prohibited.
6. Knowingly allowing leaking plumbing fixtures is prohibited.

Image via Shutterstock

(Editor's Note: Patch is re-posting this story in case you missed it the first time around.)