Danvers Water Restriction Season Starts On Monday

Residents may only water outdoor lawns and gardens between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.

DANVERS, MA — Following last summer's historic drought, a weekend of heavy rain was insufficient to postpone the start of annual outdoor water restrictions in Danvers.

Starting Monday, the town will implement a Level 2 water restriction, allowing outdoor lawn and garden watering only from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. each day.

Last summer, Danvers reached Level 5 restrictions – a ban on all outdoor sprinklers, car washing, and filling swimming pools – by July 6 and went to Level 6 restrictions – a ban on all outdoor water use – on Aug. 29 that lasted until the end of the growing season.

"Conserving water now will reduce the need for the town to implement more stringent restrictions later," the town said in a news statement on Monday. "Small changes can make a big difference."

Danvers is subject to yearly limitations as part of the Ipswich River Basin, a severely pressured river basin overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

From May 1 to October 1, the community is limited to utilizing 3.8 million gallons of water per day.