Governor Declares Drought: Our Response

In 2016 (as the photo of kids standing in a dry riverbed shows), the Ipswich River was devastated by the most severe drought in the river’s history. Images of dry stream beds and fish kills are still vivid in residents’ memories, and the damage inflicted on the river’s ecosystem was long lasting. After a relatively wet 2019, the Ipswich River finally seemed to be coming back from that damage, with signs of a healthier waterway on the rise.

This year, only four years later, the river’s flow rate (a measure of the amount of river water) is even lower than it was at the same time in 2016 and the Governor has declared we’re in a severe drought.

In partnership with the Town of Ipswich, we created a Net Zero (or Water Neutral Growth) Toolkit for towns and cities throughout the watershed. The toolkit (ipswichriver.org/net-zero) advises towns on existing and successful water conservation measures as well as proposing new actions that could be taken to protect water resources. Residents who care about clean, reliable water can also help both by conserving at home and encouraging others to do so. “You can take action right now to show you care about clean, plentiful water and encourage your neighbors to do the same,” says Outreach Manager Rachel Schneider, adding “We’re launching the Water for People campaign in the next few weeks to make drought-resistant yards and less summer watering the new norm.” For tips on how to create a low-maintenance, drought resistant, and bird-friendly outdoor space, visit greenscapes.org/greenscapes-guide.

Up until the May watering season, the biggest cause of low flows is climate conditions. “We had a dry winter with little snow melt to recharge the watershed, followed by below average spring rain levels,” says Wayne Castonguay, Executive Director. “Now that we’re in summer and seeing hot and dry days ahead, the actions we each take on how we use water play a huge role in how bleak things get.”

It’s not just wildlife and paddling enthusiasts who suffer from low flows. Low flows directly impact the 350,000 people and business relying on Ipswich River water every day. Local businesses, like True North and Ipswich Ale Breweries in Ipswich and Richardson’s Farm in Middleton, need reliable, plentiful water to stay in business. “You can’t have beer without abundant clean water!,” says Jake Rogers, Founder of True North Brewery. With so many important things needing water, why do we waste so much of it on lawn watering?

While watering lawns is a common practice, virtually all of it is used by the plant or evaporates and doesn’t put water back into the ground. Massachusetts households that water their lawns in the summer use up to 1,900 gallons of water a week. That’s like running your shower for 12 hours! In most communities, water consumption nearly doubles from winter to summer. Add to that a boom in development across the North Shore which is not only increasing water demand, but also the number of water-thirsty grass lawns being established.

Even outside of drought, the Ipswich River is stressed, with 13 communities drawing their drinking water from its watershed, including some of our biggest towns on the North Shore, all of whom are exempt from local water conservation requirements. Some of these municipalities could easily, at the turn of a valve, make the switch to alternate more plentiful sources of water when the river is low. The switch would both relieve some of the strain on the Ipswich River and would provide a much more reliable source of water for those communities.

The time has come to solve our Ipswich River water crisis once and for all, for people and nature.

2 thoughts on “Governor Declares Drought: Our Response”

  1. Sad face! Sad news!

    What is happening in these other municipalities “Exempt of water conservation” to address this Critical drought situation?

  2. wayne castonguay

    Hi Carol,
    Unfortunately, these communities are exempt form state mandated water conservation requirements as they are grandfathered. Without these, we find it difficult to incentivize local staff to voluntarily implement them as it requires extra effort and resources. We are actively working on both levels to change this paradigm and hope for success soon! Please sign up for our advocacy group for alerts on when to help.

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