No California, but Massachusetts Drought is One for the Record Books

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker urged citizens to restrict water consumption as current drought conditions are considered the worst in over a decade. After five months of abnormally dry conditions and 17 percent of the state (including most of the area in and around Boston) to be in extreme drought, state officials are beginning to plan for the worst.

“This is a really big issue and this is a really big deal,” said Governor Baker speaking to a crowd overlooking a strawberry field decimated by a lack of rain, according to an article in the Boston Globe. [1] “Minimize your water usage both inside and outside your home. You can eliminate or limit watering your lawns; you can eliminate or limit washing your car.” [1]

Approximately 160 public water systems in Massachusetts have some form of restrictions in place banning residents from certain water practices. “Normally you might see some issues at the end of August to September, but this year, because there was not really a lot of snow or precipitation during the spring, we started seeing issues in June and July”, said Ed Coleta, a spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, reported by the Boston Globe. [1]

As Massachusetts enters into the fifth consecutive month of drought, state officials have begun to focus on communities most in need. Massachusetts Public Safety Secretary, Dan Bennett, stated, “We have not reached point where demand for water exceeds supply; but we are planning and developing the capacity to provide large volumes of bottled water to multiple communities and to provide tankers of potable water to replenish municipal tanks.”  [2]

Published 8/31/2016

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