In a Boothbay Region Water District (BRWD) meeting Sept. 9, General Manager Weston Alley reported that drought conditions in Lincoln County have increased to a D2 Severe Drought. Droughts are measured from level 0 to 4.  

BRWD has already pulled out of Knickerbocker Lake for the season, but is permitted to take another 10 million gallons from the lake if needed to preserve Adams Pond for the winter.  

As previously reported in the Register, during droughts when Adams is not being adequately recharged, the district will continue to use Knickerbocker, as it has a better replacement rate and a higher safe annual yield. However, Alley said he doesn't currently see the BRWD needing to switch back.  

Trustees also discussed Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' (CMBG) currently using public water for irrigation. No issues are immediately apparent, but the district plans to review CMBG’s usage when the numbers come in at year’s end.  

“If we get a time when irrigation is not safe for public health and safety, they're just as liable to be cut off like everyone else,” said Alley. 

In other business, the Adams Pond realignment project is entering its next phase as BRWD Resources Manager Rebecca Jacobs is going to put down soil and plant to create a vegetated buffer on the old roadbed. The area will also have a footpath, but Jacobs said that for the sake of establishing the buffer, the community will likely have to be patient and wait until next year to access it.  

The treatment division has ordered a new pump for the sewer pit, costing $12,500, and they are spending $2,900 to replace a variable frequency drive on another pump.