NH Business Review Water restrictions urged as precipitation levels remain low April 22, 2021 Dennis Schaefer and Cindy Shea breed and milk a small herd of goats on 2½ acres in Loudon. On a Sunday afternoon last month, while their 14 newborns cavorted around their pen, Shea watched hopefully as the sunshine gave way to a graying sky, then glumly said, “There’s no rain in those clouds.” Schaefer fretted over whether the hay crop would see the herd through the winter. Coming on the heels of last year’s drought, winter’s light snowfall and spring’s light rains have raised the prospect of New Hampshire’s third multi-year drought in the past two decades. Tom Donovan, director of the Water Division at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said the agency has recommended that cities and towns restrict outdoor water uses and encourage water conservation measures.