Scituate puts total water ban in place as drought worsens across Massachusetts
142 cities & towns have water bans
Scituate's reservoir has fallen below 28 percent and the town is responding with a total ban on nonessential outdoor water use.
A total of 142 cities, towns and college campuses across the commonwealth have instituted some level of water-use restrictions this summer. The majority of those are located from Worcester County toward the east, but every county except Nantucket has at least one town with some level of restrictions.
Download: Latest statewide list of watering bans
The area of severe drought in Massachusetts was doubled in Thursday's update from the U.S. Drought Monitor -- to nearly 62 percent. Adding the area of moderate drought increases the total to 92 percent of the state.
Scituate's ban does not allow the use of hand-held hoses for irrigating lawns, filling pools or washing boats/vehicles. Residents can water gardens and shrubs with a watering can, but only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Violators face fines, the town warns.
Statewide list of water restrictions as of Aug. 1:
Massachusetts Municipal Water Use Restrictions as of August 1, 2016
Town Public Water Supplier Implementation Date Restriction Level
Acton Water Supply District of Acton 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Andover Andover DPW 7/25/2016 Voluntary
Ashburnham Ashburnham Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Ashland Howe Street Regional Water Plant 7/25/2016 Mandatory
Athol Athol Water Dept. 6/16/2016 Mandatory
Auburn Auburn Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Avon Avon Water Dept. 6/1/2016 Mandatory
Ayer Ayer Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Barnstable Hyannis Water Dept. 6/21/2016 Mandatory
Barre Barre Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Belchertown Belchertown Water District 6/9/2016 Voluntary
Bellingham Bellingham Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Billerica Billerica Water Works 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Blackstone Blackstone Water Dept. 6/1/2016 Mandatory
Bourne North Sagamore Water District 6/15/2016 Voluntary
Braintree Tri-Town Water Board 7/25/2016 Mandatory
Burlington Burlington Water Department 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Byfield Byfield Water District 5/18/2016 Mandatory
Canton Canton Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Chatham Chatham Water District 6/15/2016 Voluntary
Chelmsford Chelmsford Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
North Chelmsford North Chelmsford Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Cohasset Cohasset Water Dept. 7/1/2016 Voluntary
Concord Concord Water Dept. 6/27/2016 Mandatory
Danvers Danvers Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Dartmouth Dartmouth Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Dedham Dedham-Westwood Water District 6/1/2016 Mandatory
Devens MassDevelopment 5/16/2016 Mandatory
Douglas Douglas Water and Sewer 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Dover Colonial Water Co. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Duxbury Duxbury Water Dept. 6/28/2016 Mandatory
Easton Easton Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
East Bridgewater East Bridgewater DPW 6/17/2016 Mandatory
East Longmeadow East Longmeadow DPW 7/26/2016 Voluntary
Essex Essex Water Department 7/11/2016 Mandatory
Fitchburg Fitchburg Water Dept. 5/19/2016 Mandatory
Foxborough Foxborough Water and Sewer Comm. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Franklin Franklin Water Dept. 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Gardner Gardner Water Dept. 5/30/2016 Mandatory
Georgetown Georgetown Water Dept. 5/18/2016 Mandatory
Grafton South Grafton Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Groton Groton Water Department 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Groton West Groton Water Supply District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hadley Hadley DPW Water Division 7/21/2016 Mandatory
Halifax Halifax Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hamilton Hamilton Water Dept. 6/8/2016 Mandatory
Hanson Hanson DPW 3/8/2016 Mandatory
Harwich Harwich Water Dept. 7/7/2016 Voluntary
Hatfield Hatfield Water Dept. 6/1/2016 Voluntary
Hingham Aquarion Water Co. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Holbrook Tri-Town Water Board 7/25/2016 Mandatory
Holden Holden DPW 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Holliston Holliston Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hopedale Hopedale Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hopkinton Hopkinton Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hudson Hudson Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Hull Aquarion Water Co. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Ipswich Ipswich Water Dept. 6/20/2016 Mandatory
Kingston Kingston Water Dept. 6/15/2016 Voluntary
Leicester Hillcrest Water District 8/1/2016 Mandatory
Leicester Cherry Valley and Rochdale Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Lincoln Lincoln Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Littleton Littleton Water Department 5/24/2016 Mandatory
Lunenburg Lunenburg Water District 5/24/2016 Mandatory
Lynnfield Lynnfield Center Water District 1/1/2016 Mandatory
Manchester Manchester Water Dept. 7/18/2016 Mandatory
Mansfield Mansfield Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Marion Marion Water Division 6/15/2016 Mandatory
Marlborough Marlborough DPW Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Maynard Maynard Dept. of Public Works 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Medfield Medfield Water Dept. 6/2/2016 Mandatory
Medway Medway Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Merrimac Merrimac Water Dept. 7/1/2016 Mandatory
Middleborough Middleborough Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Milford Milford Water Co. 5/18/2016 Mandatory
Millbury Aquarion Water Co. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Millis Millis Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Natick Natick Water Division 6/22/2016 Mandatory
Needham Needham Water Dept. 5/2/2016 Mandatory
Newburyport Newburyport Water Works 7/21/2016 Voluntary
Norfolk Norfolk Dept. of Public Works 1/1/2016 Mandatory
North Attleborough North Attleborough Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
North Reading North Reading DPW 6/13/2016 Mandatory
Northampton Northampton Water Dept. 6/21/2016 Mandatory
Northbridge Whitinsville Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Norton Norton Water Department 1/1/2016 Mandatory
Norwell Norwell Water Dept. 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Oak Bluffs Oak Bluffs Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Orange Orange Water Dept. 6/15/2016 Mandatory
Peabody Peabody Water Dept. 7/7/2016 Voluntary
Pepperell Pepperell Water Division 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Plainville Plainville Water Dept. 7/18/2016 Mandatory
Plymouth Plymouth DPW Water Division 7/12/2016 Mandatory
Plymouth Plymouth Water Company 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Randolph Tri-Town Water Board 7/25/2016 Mandatory
Provincetown Provincetown Water Dept. 6/1/2016 Mandatory
Raynham North Raynham Water District 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Raynham Raynham Center Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Reading Reading Water Dept. 1/1/2016 Mandatory
Rockport Rockport Water Dept. 7/14/2016 Mandatory
Rowley Rowley Water Department 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Rutland Rutland Water Dept. 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Salisbury Salisbury Water Dept. 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Scituate Scituate Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Seekonk Seekonk Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Sharon Sharon Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Shelburne Shelburne Falls Fire District 6/20/2016 Mandatory
Shirley Shirley Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Southampton Southampton Water Dept. 6/27/2016 Voluntary
Southwick Southwick Water Dept. 6/15/2016 Mandatory
Spencer Spencer Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Sterling Sterling Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Sturbridge Sturbridge Water Dept. 5/23/2016 Mandatory
Sudbury Sudbury Water District 5/18/2016 Mandatory
Sutton Wilkinsonville Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Swansea Swansea Water District 5/20/2016 Mandatory
Taunton Taunton Water Dept. 5/21/2016 Mandatory
Templeton Templeton Light and Water 6/17/2016 Mandatory
Topsfield Topsfield Water Dept. 5/26/2016 Mandatory
Townsend Townsend Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Upton Upton Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Uxbridge Uxbridge Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Walpole Walpole Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Ware Ware Water Dept. 5/20/2016 Mandatory
Wareham Onset Fire and Water District 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Warren Warren Fire District 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Wayland Wayland Water Division 6/6/2016 Mandatory
Wellesley Wellesley Department of Public Works 7/27/2016 Voluntary
Wellesley Wellesley College 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Wenham Wenham Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Westborough Westborough Dept. of Public Works 5/31/2016 Mandatory
Westfield Westfield Water Dept. 6/27/2016 Mandatory
Westford Westford Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Westwood Dedham-Westwood Water District 6/1/2016 Mandatory
West Boylston West Boylston Water District 6/1/2016 Mandatory
West Newbury West Newbury Water Dept. 5/1/2016 Mandatory
Weymouth Weymouth Water Dept. 7/18/2016 Voluntary
Williamstown Williamstown Water Dept. 7/1/2016 Mandatory
Wilmington Wilmington Water Department 1/1/2016 Mandatory
Worcester Worcester DPW 1/11/2016 Mandatory
Wrentham Wrentham Water Division 1/1/2016 Mandatory