North Andover sent a Smart911 emergency alert Tuesday, Sept. 15, reinforcing its mandatory outdoor water ban over low Lake Cochichewick levels. The town said restrictions remain in place indefinitely.
The town first imposed the ban in early September under Town Bylaw, Chapter 185, which governs water use restrictions. As of Sept. 15, the lake has not recovered enough to lift the rules. Smart911 is the town's emergency notification system, used to push urgent messages directly to residents' phones.
The Smart911 alert said restrictions will stay in effect until the lake recovers to normal levels. No specific timeline was given.
What's banned
All non-essential outdoor water use is prohibited. The town listed three activities:
- Outdoor spray irrigation systems
- Outdoor washing of vehicles
- Filling swimming pools
The town has not publicly addressed whether exceptions exist for hand-watering gardens or drip irrigation systems.
Lake still low
A town newsbrief published Monday, Sept. 14, described the lake as "currently low" and promoted a Lake Cochichewick cleanup event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Stevens Pond Parking Lot from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The newsbrief noted the low water makes shoreline litter easier to reach than usual.
The town has not released specific water level measurements or said how far below normal the lake sits.
Patch reported the initial ban on Sept. 2. The town's own Sept. 1 announcement had attributed the restrictions to the North Andover Water Department, citing Town Bylaw, Chapter 185. No end date was given at the time.
Neighboring Andover has also been managing drought conditions. As we reported Sept. 13, Andover's drought status eased to mild, though water restrictions there also remain in place.
No timeline for relief
The town has not said what lake level would trigger a lift of the ban, and no named official has commented publicly on the escalation to emergency alerts. Neither the Smart911 alert nor the town's newsbriefs have described enforcement penalties, though Chapter 185 itself lays out a graduated fine structure: a warning for a first offense, $50 for a second violation and $100 for each violation after that, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
The Oct. 3 Lake Cochichewick cleanup runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Stevens Pond Parking Lot. Residents with questions about the water ban can contact the North Andover Water Department.
