The Maine CDC Drinking Water Program (DWP) encourages public water systems (PWSs) to use the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Incident Action Checklist for Drought (PDF). This checklist is a great resource for drought preparedness, response, and recovery. A link to the checklist can also be found on the DWP’s Drought Webpage, which contains even more resources and up-to-date drought maps that may be useful during periods of drought.
The DWP also advises public water suppliers experiencing quantity issues to communicate with customers regarding water conservation measures. This is particularly important in areas experiencing moderate to severe drought. Voluntary or mandatory measures can be an effective means of addressing water quantity issues until natural recharge occurs.
Water conservation best practices:
Outside Water Use:
Avoid watering lawns;
Water garden plants only when necessary, either early in the day (before 9AM) or late in the evening (after 5PM) to avoid water loss by evaporation;
Keep grass a bit longer than usual to promote soil moisture retention and help it develop a deeper root system;
Avoid washing cars and other vehicles;
Instead of using water to clean walkways, decks, or driveways, use a broom; and
Cover swimming pools when they are not in use to prevent evaporation.
Inside Water Use:
Take shorter showers (approximately 5 minutes or less); avoid baths
Turn off water while brushing your teeth or shaving
Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes
Collect and reuse clean household water (e.g., water from cooking can be used to water plants)
Fix any leaks you may find around the house, including leaky toilets, which can use up to 200 gallons of water per day
Consider reaching out to customers who use large quantities of water to see if they can modify operations to temporarily decrease their water use. And let your fire department know of any water shortages you experience, as they may be able to draw from alternate water sources if available for fire suppression and other needs.
Mandatory Water Conservation can be enabled through...
local ordinance,
the PWS Terms and Conditions, or
Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Rules, Chapter 620 § 3(K), by which a water supply emergency can be declared if certain conditions are met.
Please contact the PUC for more information on Chapter 620:
• Jody McColman: jordan.d.mccolman@maine.gov; 207-287-1365
• Stephani Morancie: stephani.morancie@maine.gov; 207-287-1368
For questions regarding droughts, or to report a water shortage, please contact your PWS Inspector or call the DWP at 207-287-2070.
The DWP requests that any public water supplier requesting voluntary or mandatory conservation measures from their customers please notify and share a copy of the messaging with us. We will convey this information to the PUC so that if we or they receive calls from your customers or the press we can support your efforts.
URLs
Maine CDC Drinking Water Program
Homepage: www.medwp.com
Drought Webpage: https://tinyurl.com/Maine-Drought-2025
US Environmental Protection Agency
Water Conservation Tips: https://tinyurl.com/EPA-Drought-Factsheet (PDF)
Incident Action Checklist – Drought: https://tinyurl.com/EPA-IAC-Drought (PDF)