Plentiful sunshine may seem like a good finish to summer to most, but for some it's been mostly blue skies for too long.

The Parker River watershed - which Newbury, Byfield, Rowley and other towns use as a water supply - needs rain to replenish its evaporating reservoirs. But it's been weeks since any significant amount has fallen, and harsh heat has helped to dry up essential moisture, according to the Parker River Clean Water Association.

Underground water flow is down to a slow trickle or has simply stopped in some parts of the watershed. In fact, the situation is so serious the president of the association is urging residents in watershed communities to turn off their outdoor faucets and put away the sprinklers.

"The situation right now is pretty dire. We are down very low in water," said Don Bade, the association's president. "The problem that we see is that there is more and more population growth and more water usage, and there is no more water; the water supply isn't increasing."

The watershed includes all or portions of nine local communities, including part of West Newbury, Georgetown and Boxford. The watershed takes up much of the area between the Ipswich River watershed to the south and the Merrimack River watershed to the north, or about 82 square miles of land.

Newburyport's water comes from reservoirs that are close to, but not in, the Parker River watershed.

Bade said the Byfield and Rowley water departments have banned outdoor water use to help conserve water. Georgetown had one for a while, he said, but that was mostly because its water treatment plant was hit by lighting, which caused problems.

"We actually requested that the ban be reinstated in Georgetown," Bade said.

Getting departments to agree to an outdoor water ban, though, is a difficult task, Bade said.

"The less water that is used, the less revenue they get to operate with, and this makes water rates increase," he said. "It is always somewhat of a contentious issue when you try to get the water departments to put on the water restrictions."

Bade pointed out an example of the severity, noting the water in one of the main streams leading to the river, from Boxford into Georgetown, has disappeared. He said there are several wells along that stretch that Georgetown uses for the town's water supply.

"With the low flow of the river and the water withdrawals being made, it basically makes for a dry river," he said.

For most of the summer, the rainfall was above normal, said Ray Whitley, a local weather watcher who tracks rain and snowfall locally for the National Weather Service. In June, 4.49 inches fell in the area, more than the 3.71 inches it normally rains in that month.

And in July, 5.27 inches fell, and the average for the month is 3.58.

But Whitley said August is a different story. As the month comes to a close, just 1.15 inches of rain have fallen in the area, compared to a normal month in which 3.27 inches fall.

In addition to the low amount of rainfall in August, the temperatures also soared, Whitley said. Last Saturday, the mercury hit 98 degrees, breaking the previous heat record of 92, set in 1968.

"Our lawn went from being nice and green to crunchy," Whitley said. "When you get that high of a temperature, it takes the moisture out of things quickly. Certainly, we are taking away more water than is being added, and I'm sure the reservoirs show signs of needing some rain."

The last time any measurable rain fell on the area was almost two weeks ago, when about a tenth of an inch sprinkled the ground, Whitley said.

Ways to Conserve

* Turn off faucet when brushing teeth

* Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads

* Install minimal-flow shower heads

* Install high-efficiency toilets

Source: Don Bade, president of the Parker River Clean Water Association