GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- The city of Gloucester has banned outdoor water use for the first time in 30 years to preserve its drought-depleted reservoirs.
City officials say the reservoirs have just a 32-day supply left.
Public Works Commissioner Joseph Parisi says water demand is up because of the drought and Gloucester's increased summer population. He says demand is outpacing the capacity of the city's single operating water treatment plant.
A second plant is shut down for emergency repairs, meaning the city's mainland reservoir system can't be tapped.
Police Lieutenant Joseph Aiello says water ban violators can be given a warning for the first offenses, but ticketed for ignoring the ban a second time.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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