Water levels in ponds that supply Kittery remain 12 feet below normal heading into winter, and there is no end in sight to conservation measures now approaching their eighth week.
Recent rains raised levels in the Kittery Water District’s reservoirs only by about 3 inches. The district’s restriction, which it describes as “severe,” limits outdoor watering in Kittery and part of neighboring Eliot to nighttime and early morning on certain days of the week.
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’s 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’s plans for its water system.
The district gets its water from four ponds and uses about half of the ponds’ total capacity each year. The ponds have failed to refill this year amid an ongoing drought. Matthew Berube, the superintendent of Kittery Water District, said there is no end to the restrictions in sight.
Berube called the low water an “emergency,” saying the ponds are already where they would normally be in midwinter.
“I’m at levels in the pond that I would typically see in December and January after three months of my high-usage period,” he said. “I’m already advanced three months ahead of the schedule in water loss.”
Local officials said the drought that began last summer along with heavier development in southern Maine and rising demand from the shipyard caused the shortage. Leaks at the shipyard in April and July disrupted water service in the district. It’s not clear how much water was lost in the incidents.
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’s on- and off-base utility improvements will benefit the area. They also say that the shipyard’s water usage has decreased from historic amounts.
“We 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,” shipyard spokesperson Jessica Lamarre said in a statement.
The leaks and restrictions put pressure on the shipyard. In August, Kittery officials asked the state’s Board of Environmental Protection to examine the new project.
About a third of Eliot gets its water from the district. Because the restrictions apply to only part of town, they have caused some confusion, Town Manager Michael Sullivan said. He expects residents may have to get used to restrictions as the town grows.
“Water conservation is something that’s important, and it may be new to this region,” he said. “But you know, as there’s more development and the area gets more developed, it’s going to become more common.”
Berube also blamed development in the district.
“It’s got to be thought of differently,” he said. “We can’t just keep building to infinity because I don’t have infinite water.”
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.