According to CBS 12 in Providence, the city of Attleboro announced Friday that in order to meet the demand for water this summer, it needs to reopen its Wading River water treatment facility. Officials say the city needs to provide 6.5 to 8 million gallons per day of water to residents throughout the summer months. The West Street water plant currently produces close to 4 million gallons per day and is capable of producing more, according to the city, but doing so would lead to faster depletion of the reservoir it pulls from. By opening the Wading River plant on or around June 20, close to an additional 2 million gallons per day would be produced. Given the current situation, city officials said there are no better options, saying that Keeping the Wading River plant offline would lead to strict water-use restrictions and deplete reserves feeding the West Street plant. On the other hand, they said restarting the Wading River plant would help alleviate water levels from other sources and make restrictions less likely later in the summer. The city plans to use federal APRA grant money to offset the cost of the project.

Residents who have concerns about water quality will be able to access water, free of charge, at the West Street facility, according to the city.