Thursday, July 28, 2016

Let's Get Serious

Atkins Reservoir yesterday
Pelham Reservoir (Not in use at the moment)

With our immediate area in a "severe drought" and with over one-third of all communities in the state already implimenting "mandatory" water bans it's time Amherst became a tad more serious and upgraded the two-day old voluntary ban to a mandatory one (exempting farmers of course).



 Fort River barely flowing
Fort River near Groff Park

The somewhat Rube Goldberg water system we have is already in high-capacity mode three weeks before the college aged youth come flocking back to our town, which could be the bale of hay that breaks the camel's back.

UMass is immune from town edicts (you can tell which fields are irrigated)
Groff Park Wading Pool should remain exempt (Cherry Hill Golf Course, on the other hand)

No water over Puffer's Pond dam this morning


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Money, Larry, issue a mandatory water ban and account receivable goes down.

Anonymous said...

If it caused that much headache/chaos back in the 80s, imagine the impact in today's world... scary stuff.

Rebecca said...

There are plenty of places at UMass that need watering that aren't getting it. I didn't know Amherst had a water ban going on though (I don't live in town.)

Anonymous said...

Amherst College is probably using more water than UMASS, look at their nice green playing fields...

Anonymous said...

How much water does Amherst supply Hadley [8" water main on meadow st. at town line meter pit?

Larry Kelley said...

I'm told the "emergency interconnection" with Hadley is closed.

Anonymous said...

Cherry Hill Golf Course pumps out of the creek and of course most of it drains back there. No effect on Town water supply.

How much is lost through leaking mains I wonder?

Anonymous said...

DEP/EPA limits how much Hadley can pump from it's well(s) and Hadley has grown a lot since 1980. No way Hadley could bail out Amherst again.

Gotta wonder what DEP would say about cherry hill draining creek. Oh the poor fishies...

Anonymous said...

The fish have been there for 50 years. They will be OK.

Anonymous said...

Why is there an orange cone in the wading pool?

Do they trust that young waders will avoid the issue (hopefully nothing serious) and keep the cone in place?