Feeling guilty for using too much water in the shower or on your lawn? Until recently, Maynard’s sewer plant had you beat.

Waste-water treatment plants require large amounts of water for a variety of uses, including washing down machinery, keeping pump components cool, and carrying treatment chemicals. Until a few weeks ago, Maynard used town drinking water for these processes, pumping up to 40,000 gallons through the sewer plant some days.