{"id":7555,"date":"2024-11-22T15:15:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T20:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/?p=7555"},"modified":"2025-01-29T10:37:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T15:37:06","slug":"massachusetts-drought-alert","status":"public-archive","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/2024\/11\/22\/massachusetts-drought-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Drought Alert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>DROUGHT STATUS<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has declared a Level 3 \u2013 Critical Drought for the Western, Connecticut River Valley, Central, Northeast and Southeast Regions. The Cape Cod and Islands Regions remain at Level 0 \u2013 Normal Conditions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>CURRENT CONDITIONS<\/strong><br \/>\nDue to unprecedented low rainfall over the last three months, with many locations recording their lowest ever rainfall, the Commonwealth is experiencing critical drought conditions. Since November 1st, there have been 425 wildfires across the state with 2,572 acres burned. Smoke effects from extended drought fires have impacted local communities. Since August, all regions, except Cape and Islands, have seen a rainfall deficit of 8 to 11 inches. Streamflow has dropped significantly, resulting in dry brooks and streambeds, increased ponding, exposed beaches and sediments, and limited fish passage. Groundwater levels are declining in all regions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WHAT YOU SHOULD DO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Residents, Facilities &amp; Businesses (including private wells users)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Water Use Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Aggressively reduce indoor water use<br \/>\n\u2022 take shorter showers,<br \/>\n\u2022 avoid water running while brushing\/shaving, etc.)<br \/>\n\u2022 Run dishwashers &amp; washing machines only at full capacity<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Minimize overall water use<br \/>\n\u2022 Follow local water restrictions<br \/>\n\u2022 Monitor total household water use shown on water bill for sudden increases<br \/>\n\u2022 Fix leaks immediately<\/p>\n<p><strong>Outdoor Fire Prevention Tips<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2022 Burning yard waste is prohibited<br \/>\n\u2022 Stop outdoor cooking\/heating<br \/>\n\u2022 Use caution with power equipment<br \/>\n\u2022 Properly dispose of ashes and smoking materials<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Cities &amp; Towns<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Use outreach materials to inform users about drought\/water conservation tips<br \/>\n\u2022 Establish a year-round water conservation program<br \/>\n\u2022 Enforce water use restrictions with stringent penalties<br \/>\n\u2022 Prepare to activate emergency inter-connections with other water suppliers<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Implement drought surcharge\/seasonal water rates<br \/>\n\u2022 Establish\/enhance water use reduction targets<br \/>\n\u2022 Conduct targeted outreach to top water users<br \/>\n\u2022 Establish a leak detection program<br \/>\n\u2022 Develop\/refine local drought management plan for water supply<br \/>\n\u2022 Prohibit washing of hard surfaces, vehicles, boats<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Learn more at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mass.gov\/ma-drought-management\">www.mass.gov\/ma-drought-management<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DROUGHT STATUS The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has declared a Level 3 \u2013 Critical Drought for the Western, Connecticut River Valley, Central, Northeast and Southeast Regions. The Cape Cod and Islands &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/2024\/11\/22\/massachusetts-drought-alert\/\" aria-label=\"Read full article about Massachusetts Drought Alert\">Read full article<span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":7558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7555"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7555"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7561,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7555\/revisions\/7561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}