Mayor Neil M. O’Leary is asking residents to voluntarily conserve water as the city’s water levels continue to get low.

The city Water Department monitors its water levels daily. Water Superintendent Chris Bogucki reported the usable capacity as of Sept. 22 was at 55% - or 201 days of supply.

“As you may know, the state Department of Public Health issued a statewide drought advisory in June due to a lack of rainfall,” Mayor O’Leary said on Sept. 23. “Over the course of the summer, we have continued to experience below normal rainfall. So we are asking Waterbury customers and the other town water departments supplied by our water system to help us voluntarily conserve water.”

There are various ways to conserve water such as; fix leaking pipes and fixtures, run only full loads of dishwashers and washing machines, rinse all hand-washed dishes together, turn off water while brushing your teeth or shaving, and, most importantly, limit the amount of outside water use.

The Water Department has drought triggers in their Emergency Contingency Plan that require notice when the usable storage reaches certain levels based on the time of year. Although we are still slightly above our first trigger level, with little significant rainfall forecast for the near future, being pro-active and asking for voluntary conservation is prudent. Bogucki said.

For more information on water conservation, CLICK HERE