Conserving Water In Private Wells During Drought

Charlestown and most of Washington County are experiencing extreme drought conditions. In Rhode Island, July 2022 was the second driest July on record, over the past 128 years of record keeping, and the period from January 2022 to July 2022 has been the 36th driest year over the past 128 years for those same periods.

Some towns in Washington County have established outdoor watering bans or other measures to control water use. Charlestown, however, is served entirely by private wells. Some of those private wells are community systems that serve multiple houses and have established restrictions on water use, but the vast majority of wells in Charlestown are wells that serve single households where water conservation is entirely voluntary.

You may have issues with your well, and others may not. The circumstances for each private well are different. Some wells are shallow, and some are deep in bedrock. Some shallow wells are in areas with high water tables surrounded by open space areas that recharge their aquifers, and some are in dense neighborhoods south of Post Road with many shallow wells and no large forested or other open space areas to offset the water use. Bedrock wells are influenced by conditions farther away.

No matter what the normal water level in your well is, the level is probably lower than normal, and drawing water from the well could stress your well. Homeowners should consider reducing outdoor watering, such as not watering lawns, until we begin to get more normal rainfall and our groundwater has a chance to recharge. They also may want to assess if there are ways to use less water indoors too. Landlords to summer renters, especially south of Rt. 1, will want to encourage their guests to conserve water.

Not all wells are stressed, but if the water in your well drops below the submersible pump, you will experience a loss of water. In some cases, the drop may be only temporary while your water is being frequently pumped, such as during showers or doing laundry. Under these conditions, you may be able to continue using the well by initiating emergency water conservation measures and using water only for essential purposes.

All wells are different, but we are in an extreme drought that could continue through August. Now is a good time to assess water use to preserve water in your well.