Towns across Massachusetts will likely have to tighten their belts on water usage in coming years, and the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department plans to be ready.

Superintendent William "Nick" Nicholson said the Department of Conservation and Recreation is scheduled to impose new permits with steeper regulations in 2015. The new permits, which have already been pushed back several years, will require greater conservation of water.

In anticipation of the state's new conservation measures, the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission has drafted a new bylaw to implement before the permits take effect.

“It will be pretty extreme,” said Nicholson at a meeting with Selectmen on Monday.

The DCR, said Nicholson and Patrick O’Neale of the water consulting firm Tata & Howard, believes water consumption is affecting water flow from streams and rivers.

O’Neale said water suppliers across the state are protesting the permits based on a lack of science to backup claims.

The Commission, which includes Mattapoisett, Marion, and Fairhaven, is already conducting a study to evaluate how the towns’ water usage affects the flow of water.

“We’re hoping to develop baseline data to see the cause and effect from pumping and the stream flow,” he explained.

The Commission believes that pumping water below the layer of clay in the ground does not have a negative effect on water flow, said O’Neale.

Whether or not such studies will effect the DCR’s plans is yet to be seen.

Nicholson said the permits will restrict water usage to 65 gallons a day per person in town. Although that number is currently at 52 gallons for Mattapoisett, the town may be asked to reduce water usage during the busy summer months.

“In the summer, we double our pumping,” Nicholson said.

The DCR will require towns to regulate water usage through one of three options: automatically, to have it triggered by the flow of water, or based on the state's drought measurements.

Regardless of which option a town chooses, when the permits go into effect, residents will be asked to conserve water, including watering yards only once a week. Nicholson said the changes will take some education.

“There are ways to help people use less water – fixing toilets that leak, being conscious of our homes,” he said.

Another consequence of the permits is reduced revenue for the town's Water Department, which relies on selling water for its budget.

“It’s something I never thought I’d be seeing,” said Nicholson. “You always want to be able to sell as much water as you can for the revenue.”

The Selectmen commended Nicholson and the Commission for planning ahead and suggested that the bylaws be brought to the 2014 Town Meeting.