LIVERMORE FALLS – Customers need to conserve water, Superintendent Doug Burdo told trustees of the Livermore Falls Water District Wednesday morning.

They are being asked to refrain from watering lawns and garden and from washing cars, he said. Burdo has addressed the problem with police in both Livermore Falls and Jay, asking them to remind residents of the need for conservation.

Moose Hill Pond, the main source for the district, which serves customers in both towns, is down 29 inches, Burdo said. “Water levels are low, very low, we’re at September or October levels now.”

“We never had storage recovery through the winter,” he explained and, of course, spring/summer rainfall has been low.

Because Moose Hill Pond is down so much, the district has already begun pumping water from its secondary source, Parkhurst Pond in East Jay. That action usually is not taken until much later in the season. It is a major expense for the district, estimated at $1,000 a week for the pumping costs.

Parkhurst is also down some, he said, but it usually holds its level pretty well, the superintendent said.

In other business, Burdo reported the water line installation on Lavoie Street is finished and Pineau Street work should begin next week.

He said the wood harvest on district property off Route 17 is going well. Pine harvest is nearly done and then some oak will be cut.

Trustees will await documentation from their engineer, Bill Dawson, before they take action on his request for an additional $25,800 in administrative costs for the current work projects.

That $2.3 million project included a new transmission main on Route 17, an upgrade to the Jewell Street pump station and work on Lavoie and Pineau streets.