UPDATED: Holliston Outdoor Watering Ban Could Continue for Days

UPDATED: Holliston on Wednesday enacted a total ban on outdoor watering, due to an electrical problem that has resulted in extremely low water tank levels.

The ban took effect immediately, and applies to activities including car washing and watering of lawns, according to the Holliston Water Department. People who have vegetable gardens can continue to water them with hand-held hoses, and anyone who has new landscaping or young trees that are being established can water as well.

The problem is the circuit board for a pumping station near Dopping Brook, said Ron Sharpin, superintendent of the Holliston Water Department. A fuse blew over the weekend, which meant the pump wouldn't start after the holiday weekend. He ordered a replacement, installed it, then another fuse blew.

The issue is the circuit board itself, which will now be replaced. Sharpin said he expected the device to arrive Wednesday night, or possibly Thursday morning. "We're hoping that's the end of our problem," he said.

Even if the circuit board arrives today, the ban on outdoor watering will likely be extended to the weekend to give the tanks a chance to replenish once the pump is operational again.

The levels are low, he said, and while sufficient for water pressure now, the town doesn't want them to get any lower.

"They're much lower than we want them to be," he said.

Before the ban, Holliston had been on an odd-even day restriction for outdoor watering.