As the drought has increased in severity this summer and with forecasters predicting it will continue into December, many residents are wondering whether their private wells are at risk. As our reporting has shown, the answer seems to be: It depends. But without any information on the water level of the aquifer supplying a well, the real answer is: No one knows. However, depending on local geology, overuse of water at one location can affect neighboring wells by lowering the level of the acquifer they share.
The Harvard Board of Health decided Tuesday to ask the selectmen to join them in urging residents to “practice water conservation habits,” whether they draw their water from a private or a municipal well. Billerica, Westford, Sudbury, Burlington, and Groton have all declared watering bans, though their town bylaws exempt private wells. The state’s emergency management director, Kurt Swartz, however, has gone one step further and recently asked private well users to reduce their indoor and outdoor water use, too.
That seems like advice worth heeding and a neighborly thing to do. In the face of uncertainty, prudence can be a virtue.
