Restrictions ease as Byram Lake recovers

By MARTIN WILBUR

The town of Mount Kisco has eased some of its water restrictions for property owners as levels in the Byram Lake Reservoir have been recovering with increased precipitation in the area since winter.

The Byron Lake Reservoir on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

Village Manager Ed Brancati recently announced that Mount Kisco went from Level 4 restrictions, which were imposed in January, to a Level 3 emergency on April 20. The new designation allows for the watering of lawns during certain hours on an odd-even numbered day basis and the private washing of vehicles as long as the water is in a bucket or other container. Restaurants will continue to refrain from serving customers water unless requested.

The Level 4 restrictions prohibited all outdoor use of water in addition to the limit for restaurant patrons unless it is asked for.

Water restrictions were imposed in January once readings from Byram Lake, the village’s primary water source, dipped to at least as low as 83%. The levels in the lake below that percentage cannot currently be read until the dam in the lake is repaired. However, regular readings as recent as April 20 and May 1 determined that the lake was at 87% capacity, Brancati said.

“The reservoir has come up. We want to continue to watch it come up, but we feel that with the trend and the way we’re going that we can pull the restrictions back from no outdoor usage at all to Level 3,” Brancati said.

Under the new restrictions, lawn or garden watering for properties that have an odd-numbered address or no number can be done on odd-numbered days from 7 to 9 a.m. or 7 to 9 p.m., according to an April 20 memo from Brancati. For owners of properties with an even-numbered address, they can water lawns and gardens on even-numbered days during those same hours, he said.

If there is a condominium complex or other multifamily development, all unit owners or tenants in that community can participate in outside watering depending on whether the complex is on an odd- or even-numbered side of the street.

Brancati said it was unclear when there may be further loosening of the restrictions, but the village will continue to regularly track the water levels in the lake.

“We will continue to monitor the reservoir, and it continues to fill and the level comes up as we expect it to, we’ll look to reduce the restrictions further,” he said.

The 170-acre Byram Lake contains roughly 1.2 million gallons of water at full capacity. Dating back to at least 2024, rainfall was well below normal, depressing water levels, although not as low as some previous intervals, Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said. Cindrich explained earlier this year that he remembered levels as low as 50%, prompting officials to take action in January.

Violation of any of the water restrictions is punishable by fines of $250 to $1,000 and/or 15 days in jail. Corporate offenders could see fines of $1,000 to $2,500.