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Outdoor Water Use Restrictions for Cities, Towns, and Golf Courses

Learn about any water restrictions that may currently be in place in your city or town.

NOTE: The restriction season for 2021 ended on September 30. The most recent list is provided here for information purposes only. Updated lists will resume in May 2022.

Please contact your local public water supplier for further information.

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Table of Contents

Current City and Town Water Restrictions

Massachusetts Municipal Water Use Restrictions as of July 29, 2021
Town Public Water Supplier Contact Implementation Date Restriction Level
Abington Abington and Rockland Joint Water Works 781-878-0462 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Acton Water Supply District of Acton 978-263-9107 4/1/2021 Mandatory
Ashburnham Ashburnham Water Department 978-827-4100 ext. 5 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Attleboro Attleboro Water Department 508-223-2222 ext. 1850 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Auburn Auburn Water District 508-832-5336 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Avon Avon Water Department 508-588-0414 ext. 1024 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Ayer Ayer Water Department 978-772-8242 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Barnstable Cotuit Fire District 508-428-2210 6/17/2021 Mandatory
Bellingham Bellingham DPW 508-966-5813 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Billerica Billerica Water Works 978-671-0957 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Blackstone Blackstone Water Department 508-883-9331 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Bourne Buzzards Bay Water District 508-759-4631 6/1/2021 Voluntary
Bourne North Sagamore Water District 508-888-1085 5/26/2021 Mandatory
Boylston Boylston Water District 508-835-3025 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Brewster Brewster Water Department 508-896-5454 5/7/2021 Mandatory
Bridgewater Bridgewater Water Department 508-697-0910 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Byfield Byfield Water District 978-462-3023 5/27/2021 Mandatory
Canton Canton Water Department 781-821-5017 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Chatham Chatham Water Department 508-945-5155 5/18/2021 Mandatory
Chelmsford Chelmsford Water District 978-256-2931 5/1/2021 Mandatory
East Chelmsford East Chelmsford DPW Water Division 978-453-0121 5/15/2021 Mandatory
North Chelmsford North Chelmsford Water District 978-251-3931 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Danvers Danvers Water Division 978-762-0235 7/15/2021 Mandatory
Dartmouth Dartmouth Water Division 508-999-0742 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Dedham Dedham-Westwood Water District 781-329-7090 5/1/2021 Voluntary
Devens Devens-MassDevelopment 978-784-2931 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Dighton Dighton Water District 508-824-9390 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Douglas Douglas Water Department 508-476-2400 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Dover Colonial Water Company 508-785-0052 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Dudley Dudley Water Department 508-949-8007 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Duxbury Duxbury Water Department 781-934-1100 5/1/2021 Mandatory
East Bridgewater East Bridgewater Water Department 508-378-1619 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Easton Easton Water Division 508-230-0850 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Fitchburg Fitchburg DPW 978-345-9616 5/26/2021 Mandatory
Foxborough Foxborough Water Department 508-543-1209 4/1/2021 Mandatory
Franklin Franklin Water Department 508-520-4910 4/15/2021 Mandatory
Georgetown Georgetown Water Department 978-352-5750 6/24/2021 Mandatory
Grafton Grafton Water District 508-839-2302 1/1/2021 Mandatory
South Grafton South Grafton Water District 508-839-0512 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Groton Groton Water Department 978-448-1122 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hadley Hadley DPW 413-586-2390 6/9/2021 Voluntary
Halifax Halifax Water Department 781-293-1733 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hamilton Hamilton Water Department 978-468-5581 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hanover Hanover DPW 781-826-3189 6/1/2021 Mandatory
Hanson Hanson Water Department 781-447-1200 5/24/2021 Mandatory
Harwich Harwich Water Department 508-432-0304 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hinsdale Hinsdale Water Department 413-655-2300 6/28/2021 Mandatory
Holden Holden Water Department 508-210-5550 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Holliston Holliston Water Department 508-429-0603 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hopedale Hopedale Water Department 508-634-2203 5/21/2021 Mandatory
Hopkinton Hopkinton Water Department 508-497-9765 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Hudson Hudson Water Department 978-562-9333 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Ipswich Ipswich Water Department 978-356-6635 6/8/2021 Mandatory
Kingston Kingston Water Department 781-585-0516 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Leicester Cherry Valley and Rochdale Water District 508-892-9616 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Leominster Leominster Water Department 978-534-7590 4/12/2021 Mandatory
Lincoln Lincoln Water Department 781-259-8997 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Littleton Littleton Water Department 978-540-2222 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Lunenburg Lunenburg Water District 978-342-9211 4/14/2021 Mandatory
Lynnfield Lynnfield Center Water District 781-334-3901 6/4/2021 Mandatory
Mansfield Mansfield Public Works Water Division 508-261-7376 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Maynard Maynard Water Department 978-897-1317 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Medway Medway Water Department 508-533-3275 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Merrimac Merrimac Water Department 978-346-8407 4/20/2021 Voluntary
Middleborough Middleborough Water Department 508-946-2482 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Middleton Middleton Water Department 978-777-0407 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Milford Milford Water Company 508-473-5110 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Millbury Aquarion Millbury 800-732-9678 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Millis Millis Water Department 508-376-5424 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Natick Natick Water Department 508-647-6557 5/20/2021 Mandatory
Norfolk Norfolk Water Division 508-528-4990 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Northbridge Whitinsville Water Company 508-234-7358 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Norwell Norwell Water Department 781-659-8076 4/13/2021 Mandatory
Orleans Orleans Water Department 508-255-1200 4/1/2021 Mandatory
Pepperell Pepperell Water Department 978-433-5591 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Plainville Plainville Water Department 508-695-6871 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Plymouth Pinehills Water Company 508-209-9000 6/28/2021 Mandatory
Plymouth Plymouth Water Division 508-830-4162 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Provincetown Provincetown Water Department 508-487-7060 6/1/2021 Mandatory
Raynham North Raynham Water District 508-880-0085 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Reading Reading Water Department 781-942-9092 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Rockland Abington and Rockland Joint Water Works 781-878-0901 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Rowley Rowley Water Department 978-948-2640 6/22/2021 Mandatory
Rutland Rutland Water Division 508-886-4105 5/25/2021 Mandatory
Sagamore North Sagamore Water District 508-888-1085 5/26/2021 Mandatory
Salisbury Salisbury Water Department 800-553-5191 6/1/2021 Mandatory
Scituate Scituate Water Division 781-545-8735 6/5/2021 Mandatory
Seekonk Seekonk Water District 508-761-8170 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Sharon Sharon Water Department 781-784-1525 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Shelburne Shelburne Falls Fire District 413-625-6734 5/21/2021 Mandatory
Shirley Shirley Water District 978-425-2245 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury Water Department 508-841-8502 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Spencer Spencer Water Department 508-885-7525 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Sterling Sterling Water Department 978-422-6767 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Sturbridge Sturbridge Water Department 508-347-2513 7/8/2021 Voluntary
Sudbury Sudbury Water District 978-443-6602 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Sutton Wilkinsonville Water District 508-865-0060 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Swansea Swansea Water District 508-672-9746 5/26/2021 Mandatory
Taunton Taunton Water Department 508-821-1045 5/24/2021 Mandatory
Templeton Templeton Municipal Light and Water 978-939-5323 6/28/2021 Mandatory
Townsend Townsend Water Department 978-597-2212 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Upton Upton Water Department 508-529-3993 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Uxbridge Uxbridge Water Department 508-278-8631 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Walpole Walpole Water Department 508-660-7300 5/3/2021 Mandatory
Ware Ware Water Department 413-967-9620 6/22/2021 Mandatory
Warren Warren Water District 413-436-9819 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Wayland Wayland Water Department 508-358-3672 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Wellesley Wellesley Water & Sewer Division 781-235-7600 5/26/2021 Mandatory
West Boylston West Boylston Water District 508-835-3025 6/1/2021 Mandatory
West Bridgewater West Bridgewater Water Department 508-894-1271 5/1/2021 Mandatory
West Groton West Groton Water District 978-448-3711 5/1/2021 Mandatory
West Newbury West Newbury Water Department 978-363-1110 4/5/2021 Mandatory
Westborough Westborough Water Department 508-366-3070 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Westford Westford Water Department 978-692-5529 6/22/2021 Mandatory
Westwood Dedham-Westwood Water District 781-329-7090 4/5/2021 Mandatory
Williamstown Williamstown Water Department 413-458-3383 5/24/2021 Mandatory
Wilmington Wilmington Water Department 978-658-3311 1/1/2021 Mandatory
Winchendon Winchendon Water Department 978-297-0170 5/1/2021 Mandatory
Wrentham Wrentham Water Department 508-384-5400 7/12/2021 Mandatory

Current water use restrictions shown on a map

MassDEP regularly updates this map and list during the monitoring season (normally May 1 through Sep. 30). The list is also available as a downloadable PDF, linked below.

Additional Resources

Current Municipal Water Use Restrictions List (PDF 92.03 KB)

Restriction Information

Water suppliers utilize emergency restrictions or bans on non-essential water use to reduce water consumption by their consumers. These restrictions vary by water system or community, but often include:

  • Limitations on the hours of the day you may water
  • Limitations on the number of days per week you may water
  • Restrictions to automatic sprinklers or irrigation systems
  • A complete ban on outdoor watering.

You can find out if there is a water restriction by contacting your local community government or public water supplier.

Public Water Suppliers should use the "Notification of Water Use Restriction Form" provided below to notify MassDEP of any restrictions they put in place.

You can find more drought and water restriction information from:

  • The Department of Conservation & Recreation
  • MassDEP's Water Management Act Program

Additional Resources

DCR Drought Management
Water Management Act Program
MassDEP Model Water Use Restriction Bylaw/Ordinance
Notification of Golf Course Water Use Restriction (PDF 104.8 KB)
Notification of Golf Course Water Use Restriction (DOCX 85.84 KB)
Notification of Water Use Restriction Form (DOC 141.5 KB)
Notification of Water Use Restriction Form (PDF 119.4 KB)
PWS, Active Sources, and Contacts Spreadsheet (Rev. Nov. 2021) (XLSX 401.48 KB)

Water Conservation Pilot Program: Lawn Watering Reduction

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) implemented a behavior-change campaign pilot in the summer of 2018 with the water systems associated with the communities of Concord, West Springfield, and Hingham (Aquarion Water Company) with the goal of reducing summer water usage. The current pilot builds on the findings from the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration’s (DER) community-based social marketing project in the Ipswich watershed, conducted in the summer of 2017.

To select potential water systems for participation, DEP reviewed annual statistical reports to create a short list of water systems with high summer-to-winter water use differences, suggesting there is a significant amount of lawn watering occurring. DEP reached out to the water supplier to provide an overview of the project. The towns of Concord and West Springfield, as well as Hingham, supplied by the Aquarion Water Company, opted in to the pilot.

You can read the report and find a quick results flyer below.

Additional Resources

Water Conservation Pilot
Water Conservation Pilot Program: Lawn Watering Reduction (PDF 5.63 MB)
Water Conservation Pilot Campaign: Lawn Watering Reduction Flyer (PDF 2.92 MB)

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