Water restrictions in Portland, ME — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Portland is served by the Portland Water District (PWD), which draws from Sebago Lake — one of about 50 U.S. surface-water supplies exempt from federal filtration. PWD has no current outdoor watering restrictions and no fixed weekly schedule; the only published advisories are boil/do-not-drink/do-not-use water-quality orders.
Portland Water District serves Portland and 10 other municipalities from Sebago Lake, which is so clean it carries an EPA filtration waiver under 40 C.F.R. § 141.71. The lake level is controlled not by PWD but by Sappi (formerly S.D. Warren) at the Eel Weir dam in Standish, under a multi-party agreement that reserves 2 of every 9 years for low-water management. Because of the abundance of supply, PWD has not adopted a tiered drought-restriction ordinance with set watering days or fines comparable to drought-prone Western cities. PWD's published 'Water Advisories' page lists only three categories of order — Boil Order, Do Not Drink, Do Not Use — all keyed to contamination events, not consumption levels. Maine has no statewide mandatory outdoor watering rule. Portland's Landcare Ordinance (Chapter 34) does prohibit fertilizer application during a heavy rain event (Sec. 34-5(b)(1)(iii)) and on saturated surfaces, which incidentally promotes water conservation.
There is no current watering-restriction fine schedule because no mandatory restriction is in effect. PWD reserves the right to seek voluntary conservation if Sebago Lake levels fall below seasonal targets. Customers concerned about water use should contact PWD Customer Service at 207-761-8310.
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