{"id":7848,"date":"2025-03-26T14:43:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T18:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/?p=7848"},"modified":"2025-03-26T14:55:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T18:55:54","slug":"massachusetts-drought-alert-still-in-a-drought","status":"public-archive","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/2025\/03\/26\/massachusetts-drought-alert-still-in-a-drought\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Drought Alert – Still In A Drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

DROUGHT STATUS:<\/strong>
\nMassachusetts is still in a Drought<\/strong>. Although the state received some snow and rain in February, conditions have continued to worsen. EEA has declared the following drought conditions: Connecticut River Valley, Central and Northeast Regions at Level 3\u2014Critical Drought<\/strong> and Western, Southeast, Cape Cod and Islands Regions at Level 2 \u2013 Significant Drought.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CURRENT CONDITIONS:<\/strong>
\nOver the past month, most of the state received 2-4 inches of precipitation which is 1-1.5 inches below normal. Despite temporary surges in streamflow from recent precipitation, streamflow and groundwater conditions have worsened in nearly all regions, and recharge that typically occurs at this time of the year to groundwater and reservoirs is diminished. It is imperative that we continue to practice indoor water conservation to ensure that our drinking water supplies are sustained, and to fully recover from and reduce drought impacts.
\nWe\u2019re entering FIRE SEASON early!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHAT YOU CAN DO:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Residents, Facilities & Businesses (including private wells users)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Water Use Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Aggressively reduce indoor water use
\n\u2022 take shorter showers with a timer
\n\u2022 avoid water running while brushing\/shaving, etc.
\n\u2022 Run dishwashers & washing machines only at full capacity<\/p>\n

\u2022 Minimize overall water use
\n\u2022 Follow local water restrictions
\n\u2022 Monitor total household water use shown on water bill for sudden increases
\n\u2022 Fix leaks immediately<\/p>\n

Outdoor Fire Prevention Tips<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Burning yard waste is prohibited
\n\u2022 Stop outdoor cooking\/heating
\n\u2022 Use caution with power equipment
\n\u2022 Properly dispose of ashes and smoking materials<\/p>\n

Cities & Towns<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Establish a year-round water conservation program that includes public education and communication using outreach materials
\n\u2022 Provide timely drought and water conservation information to local residents and businesses
\n\u2022 Check emergency inter-connections with other water suppliers<\/p>\n

\u2022 Implement drought surcharge or seasonal water rates
\n\u2022 Establish water use reduction targets for all water users
\n\u2022 Conduct targeted outreach to identified top water users
\n\u2022 Establish a leak detection program
\n\u2022 Develop or refine local drought management plan using guidance in the state Drought Management Plan
\n\u2022 Limit or prohibit washing of hard surfaces, vehicles, boats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DROUGHT STATUS: Massachusetts is still in a Drought. Although the state received some snow and rain in February, conditions have continued to worsen. EEA has declared the following drought conditions: Connecticut River Valley, Central and … Read full article→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":7850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848"}],"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=7848"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7878,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848\/revisions\/7878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudbury.ma.us\/conservationcommission\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}