Water in Westminster is no longer under mandatory restrictions, but officials warn that the change is nominal.
“It doesn?t give you a green light to start wasting water,” said Marge Wolf, the town administrator. “We are still below what we are normally at for this time of year.”
The Westminster Common Council lifted the town?s code red ? mandatory water restrictions Monday night, relaxing curbs on use which have been in place for the past six months.
Under code red, residents were prohibited from washing cars and watering outdoor gardens. Anyone violating the restrictions could be reported to the city, which could shut off water to repeat offenders, Mayor Tom Ferguson has said.
Cranberry Reservoir?s 25-foot tank is again full to the brim thanks to recent rainstorms, but other county reservoirs, such as Liberty Reservoir in Eldersburg, are still not at 100 percent, Wolf said.
Liberty is about 85 percent full, she said. It takes longer to replenish because it has to wait to accumulate water naturally, whereas Westminster pumps water into Cranberry, she said.
Voluntary water restrictions are expected to begin throughout the county in April, urging residents to limit watering gardens, washing cars and leaving faucets running.
County commissioners and council members in Westminster, the county seat, already expressed support for the April restrictions.
Last summer was one of the driest the state has experienced, and if this year conditionsare anything similar, Wolf said mandatory restrictions could again be enforced.
“It?s hard to say; it?s very possible,” she said. “We?re still working off of a deficit from last year. If it rains once a week all summer, that would be great.”
