Fire Chief Sounds Alarm About Dangerously Low Water Levels

UXBRIDGE (CBS) - The Uxbridge fire chief is sounding the alarm about dangerously low water levels in the town that could hamper firefighting efforts if a major blaze breaks out.

The town faces double the water demands of winter months, pumping over one million gallons a day of well water at stations now going some 20 hours a day.

Chief Bill Kessler is concerned about access to water in an emergency. "Obviously if it's a major fire it draws a lot of water," he says. "With the town municipal situation the way it is we look to rivers and lakes and they're low as well."

He points to a downtown mill fire on a hot summer day a few years ago that posed a similar problem. The department was able to access extra water from the nearby Mumford River. It's now at low levels few have seen before and couldn't be tapped.

"The burden will be on us, even though we try to make our response time quick, to make it quicker and get a faster knockdown. If the fire has time to grow it will be difficult to catch up with limited water," said Chief Kessler.

Town officials say as the drought drags on it's getting difficult to meet increased summer demand. "We're drawing down well water at a point we're getting very close to well shut-off levels," said DPW director Benn Sherman.

While outside watering restrictions are already in place, Chief Kessler is asking the town to consider banning outdoor watering altogether. It's something resident Joe Santa Maria says he can agree with. "They have to get the word out and people have to listen. If you see a real green lawn those people aren't listening."