Massachusetts Taps Emergency Measures To Fight Drought
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
Officials in a populous coastal state are cracking down on water wasters and passing emergency measures to bolster their dwindling water supplies — and it’s not the state you might think.
“Water levels in parts of drought-stricken Massachusetts have fallen steadily, prompting a growing number of communities to request emergency supplies — at added cost — from other sources,” The Boston Globe reported.
Concerned with low levels in reservoirs, local officials in Worcester “activated an emergency connection to draw water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority at a cost of $1.7 million per month. Ashland also received approval to tap into the supply,” the report said.
Local water utility officials are contending with challenges posed by the ongoing drought. Just ask Roy Correia, a general foreman at the town’s water treatment facility, who says five feet around the local reservoir are exposed. He noted that pumps may stop working, according to CBS News.
“If the weather continues like this and the draw continues like this, maybe a foot or two away which could be in a week or two,” he said.
The town of Scituate imposed a ban on excessive water use over the summer, threatening water wasters with fines.
“We implemented a full water ban a couple of weeks ago, which means outside watering is limited to vegetable or flower gardens with a watering can after 5 p.m. and before 9 a.m.,” Town Administrator Patricia Vinchesi told the State House News Service. “We issue an update almost daily about the capacity of our reservoir … right now we’re just under 24 percent full.”
The U.S. Drought Monitor says no part of the state is completely free of drought conditions. “This year marks the first time Massachusetts has fallen into the ‘extreme’ category since the government first collaborated with the University of Nebraska in 1999 to publish a weekly report of drought conditions nationally,” The Boston Globe reported.
To read more about drought visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.