Critical Drought · updated September 15, 2026
Outdoor water restrictions
All nonessential outdoor water use is prohibited under Chapter 250 of the City Code. Warnings and fines are being issued for violations.
What you can and cannot do outdoors right now
A critical drought declaration is in force, so outdoor water use is prohibited by default. These are the uses the city names as exceptions.
Not allowed
Water my lawn
Lawn watering is nonessential outdoor water use and is prohibited for the duration of the critical drought declaration.
Irrigate ornamental landscaping
General landscape irrigation is prohibited. Established shrubs and perennials will typically recover once restrictions lift.
Something else outdoors
If a use is not named on the exception list, it is prohibited while the critical drought declaration stands. Call (978) 374-2370 to ask about a specific case.
Still allowed
Water a vegetable garden
Food production is an exception to the restriction. Watering by hand or soaker hose early or late in the day loses the least to evaporation.
Fill a pool or run a splash pad
Permitted as a health and safety need.
Water livestock
Maintaining livestock is an exception to the restriction.
Run a plant nursery or golf course
Watering that is a core function of the business — a plant nursery or golf course, for example — is an exception.
Irrigate a public park
Set hours onlyPermitted only before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m., when evaporation losses are lowest.
Water public shade trees
Irrigation of shade trees in public areas is an exception to the restriction.
Not sure where your situation falls? Ask before you turn the tap on — the city is issuing warnings and fines. Call the Water Department on (978) 374-2370 or dial 311 in the city.
Why the restriction is in force
Every source in the system reaches residents through Kenoza Lake, so its level sets the ceiling on what the city can supply. It is currently about 9.7 feet below where it would normally sit at this point in the year.
- Kenoza Lake
- 9.7 ft below its average level
- Crystal Lake
- 1 MGD pumped into the system
- Millvale Reservoir
- Offline held low to capture rainfall
Using less, indoors and out
Haverhill produces about 6 million gallons of drinking water a day, and roughly 68 percent of it goes to homes. The city's Water Management Act permit sets a target of no more than 65 gallons per person per day, a threshold Haverhill has stayed under since 2009.
Indoors
Fix leaky faucets promptly
A single dripping faucet wastes roughly 35 gallons a month.
Check the low flow indicator on your meter
A small white or red dial that spins with every tap closed means a leak somewhere on the property.
Dye-test your toilets
Food coloring in the tank that reaches the bowl within 20 minutes without flushing means a leaking flapper.
Fit faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads
Free units are available at City Hall, Room 300.
Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full
A partial load uses nearly the same water as a full one.
Fill a basin to wash dishes or vegetables
Running the tap continuously uses several times as much.
Outdoors, once restrictions lift
Choose native plants
They survive on local rainfall once established.
Set mower blades to 2–3 inches
Taller grass shades its own roots and holds moisture longer.
Apply no more than 1 inch of water per week
Beyond that, the water drains past the root zone.
Use soaker hoses rather than sprinklers
Water reaches roots instead of air.
Fit rain sensors to irrigation systems
Required on new installations in Haverhill.
Mulch planting beds
Cuts evaporation from exposed soil.
Five minute check
Find a leak with your own meter
Turn off every tap and appliance in the house, then look at your water meter for the low flow indicator — a small white or red dial. If it is turning, water is moving somewhere it should not be.
For toilets, put food colouring or a dye tablet in the tank and do not flush. If colour reaches the bowl within 20 minutes, the flapper is leaking. A single dripping faucet wastes roughly 35 gallons a month, and all of it is billable.
Free from the city
Aerators and showerheads
Faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads are available at no charge at City Hall, Room 300, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rain sensors are required on new irrigation installations, and worth retrofitting to an older system — they stop a timer watering through a rainstorm.