The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MaDEP) has issued a LEVEL 2 – SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT alert for Central Massachusetts, including Northbridge and the surrounding area. Whitinsville Water’s permit to pump water, issued by MaDEP, requires that we inform our customers of the situation and enact water restrictions to safeguard our remaining resources. In accordance with those guidelines,  Whitinsville and Northbridge Water customers are advised that all nonessential outdoor water use is banned until the drought restriction is withdrawn by MaDEP. Examples of Non-Essential Outdoor Water Use include automatic lawn sprinkler systems, filling swimming pools and washing exterior building surfaces. Essential Outdoor Watering is still allowed. This includes the use of water for health & safety reasons, newly planted lawns, commercial car washes and farming, as well as the use of hand-held hoses for watering gardens between the hours of 5PM and 9AM. This ban is effective immediately. Please note that Whitinsville Water is authorized to suspend water service to locations that ignore our requests to terminate outdoor non-essential water use.