Endangered

#EndangeredIpswich

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The Ipswich River is one of America's

Most Endangered Rivers® . Help us save it.

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Massachusetts’ Water Management Toolkit Not Ready for the Climate Crisis


Our state is sitting smack dab in the center of the climate crisis, struggling to adjust to both drought and flooding. And our current state water policy is falling behind. Despite decades of data and research giving advance warning, MA state policy has not advanced to where it needs to be to address the future of society’s most important resource: water. 

Why has it been so difficult to make this much needed change to reduce our water use when we are already in dire straits? 

Part of the problem is public perception. Water users are often kept out of the loop as far as their water use habits. Most renters never even see their water bills, and often homeowners only see quarterly or semi-annual bills. This makes it hard for individuals to understand how much water they are using or see progress when they change their water use habits. Without this information, it’s understandable that residents of a generally wet state like Massachusetts wouldn’t know to worry about their water usage. 

The problem is systematic as well. Water suppliers need to focus their jobs on supplying clean, reliable water to their users, but they are working with decades (and sometimes centuries) old infrastructure to do so. Meanwhile, new threats to water quality are always being identified that suppliers must test for and, if possible, treat. Challenges such as these often require their full attention such that water conservation takes a back seat. 

And here is the paradox. Water users like you generally pay for improvements to our water treatment facilities, testing, and reporting as part of their water bill. This means that the people in charge of making sure you have enough clean, reliable water can only do that if people are using enough water. This at a time when we are experiencing frequent droughts and know that more droughts are on the way. Making suppliers reliant on selling water to do their work at a time when water conservation is paramount is an unworkable system. Added to that, it promotes conflict between water stakeholders.  

The harsh truth is that our state is operating under outdated rules that have no basis in our current reality. What’s worse, this situation has been with us for decades. The Ipswich River, which flows from Burlington to Ipswich, has been nationally recognized as one of the country’s Most Endangered Rivers® not once, not twice, but three times. Each time, advocates appealed to the state to make the badly needed changes that would save the river and make our entire state more resilient. Yet even today more than 90% of water use in the Ipswich watershed is exempt from any State water conservation requirements.


While grassroots efforts and municipal leaders have made wins in the last 30 years, the Ipswich River is still at risk, and with it, the drinking water of over 350,000 people. 

FIND WAYS TO HELP BELOW

Support Our Cities and Towns

1. Follow the Recipe for Water Conservation

With limited water supplies and growing impacts from drought, how can our communities work together to meet current and future water needs? There’s a lot we can do. By convincing your local officials to take these steps, we can both reduce current water use and provide for future needs. Below are three steps every City or Town can take. The Ipswich River Team is ready to assist! Together, we can protect the future of our water and communities.

Key Ingredients of the Recipe

Adopt a Water Use Bylaw that requires all proposed new and re-development to minimize water use and offset the rest through a Water Use Mitigation Program or Water Bank.

Complete a community water use profile to characterize usage and inform specific measures to reduce discretionary water use. 

Conduct a rigorous leak detection and repair program.

Analyze local zoning and land use regulations to identify opportunities to reduce water use and recharge our aquifers through Green Infrastructure and other forms of Low-Impact Development.

Increase education and public awareness on why and how to reduce water use.

Prohibit the installation of new underground irrigation systems and offer a generous rebate program for the decommissioning of existing underground irrigation systems.

Establish a water conservation incentive program to pay for residential and commercial water audits, rebates for fixture upgrades, rain barrels, and other measures.

Implement a private well bylaw so that all withdrawals are subject to the same rules.

Monitor the Town’s Residential Gallons use Per Capita Per Day to ensure that it is on a declining trajectory towards 40 or less.

2. Review Local Bylaws and Regulations

Reviewing local bylaws is our key to the future. Several towns are taking this important step to help plan for the future. This year the Essex County Community Foundation, through its new Land and Environment Initiative (ECLEI) is funding free bylaw review assistance for Greenscapes member towns in Essex County. Our first webinar will be taking place in May, 2021. Interested in seeing your town on the list? Please contact our Director of Policy and Planning at [email protected].

3. Join your Regional Resiliency Partnership

Across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, regional resiliency partnerships have formed at the watershed level to help our communities craft regional solutions. On the North Shore, one coalition unites the 29 cities and towns within the Parker, Ipswich or Essex River watersheds. Known as PIE-Rivers, the partnership that began in 2011 continues to evolve and meet new climate change and municipal vulnerability challenges . Does your Town have a need for a project related to Municipal Vulnerability, Coastal Resiliency, or Drinking Water Protection? We can help you identify PIE-Rivers Partners that can help.

State Policy

1. Fix Our State Regulations

Conditions on Water Registrations

The State’s current water law, the Water Management Act (WMA), was enacted in 1986, a far different time. Climate change was barely on the radar. Existing large water users were granted unconditioned registrations based on average annual use, while other users were exempted entirely even during drought. Thankfully, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has already announced its intention to draft new regulations this summer that would get things moving in the right direction. This is a small but critical improvement to state water policy. Want to help? Our partners at American Rivers have created an easy way for you to let our State Officials know you support them.

2. Pass the Drought Bill

The Drought Bill, HD.1635 (Full name: An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management), is sponsored by Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Carolyn Dykema. This bill would give the Commonwealth the authority to restrict non-essential outdoor watering during droughts, ensuring our water supply can sustain public health and our environment. Our partners at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance are here to help! Sign up for their newsletter for updates.

3. Increase Water and Climate Resiliency Policy

Integrate Water and Climate Policy. Massachusetts is already a leader on climate resiliency. But since the 1980s, our water supplies have been exempt from other rules and regulations. After two severe droughts in the last five years, it is time for state leaders to take action. Let them know you support adding water supply considerations into our climate planning efforts. Ipswich River Watershed Association and our many partners of the Mass Rivers Alliance are already at the table. Join your local watershed association today and make your voices heard! For more info visit https://www.massriversalliance.org/.

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