U.S. Water News Online
WINDHAM, Maine -- This town is considering the unusual step of limiting or restricting development where groundwater supplies are low.
Council members are expected to commission a hydrogeologic mapping to identify areas of below-average groundwater supplies.
If groundwater levels are low in particular areas, the town might consider requiring developers to find a solution to the water supply before building -- such as hooking up to public water or building on larger lots.
Such a move would be a departure from normal practice in Maine, where towns typically regulate development around issues of groundwater quality, not quantity.
``If the groundwater in a particular area isn't sufficient to support a given amount of development, it doesn't make any sense to put the development there,'' said Town Manager Tony Plante.
Several residents last summer reported low water yields from their wells, some of which are hundreds of feet deep.
John Rand of Raymond, a consultant who made a study in the Highland Lake neighborhood, said he hopes to identify other possible problem spots in town using data on new wells in Windham compiled since the late 1980s by the Maine Geological Survey.
The council has yet to consider possible measures to ensure that new homes have enough water.
But Rand suggested requiring developers to drill for water before building a new home. He said larger lot sizes would reduce the draw on an aquifer in a neighborhood, and bringing in public water would be another option.
``We're up against a potentially difficult situation with folks, that they may have to do things differently as they develop their land,'' he said. ``It's a sensitive topic.''
Town Councilor David Ennis said he views zoning based on groundwater supplies as a tool for sensible development, not for curbing development.
``It would be nice to think that every place where there's vacant land, it's buildable,'' he said. ``But that might not be the case.''
Town Planner George Dycio said the planning staff is talking more about encouraging or even requiring builders to hook up to public water. About half the town's homes are part of the Portland Water District system, according to Plante, but builders and homeowners are not required to use it.
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields