Drought Conditions Return to Normal Across State
EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared the end of the drought in the Commonwealth today, February, 13, 2023. After five months of normal to above-normal precipitation and record-breaking warmth in January, all seven regions of the state are now listed back at Level 0-Normal drought status. The drought in Massachusetts lasted for nine months - causing significant long-term impacts on groundwater, lakes, rivers, streams, and other water bodies across the state. Even under normal conditions, state agencies are still encouraging smart water usage, and they continue to evaluate the emergency planning efforts that are put into place during times of drought to better serve the Commonwealth. To help protect Massachusetts’ water resources, larger buildings and businesses are encouraged to conduct water audits to identify areas of leaks and potential water conservation. Residents are asked to reduce indoor water use and address leaks as soon as possible. These steps will significantly help reduce water use to ensure the Commonwealth has healthy streams and rivers and there is enough water to sustain our water supplies. Smart water use and water conservation throughout the year helps to keep our waterways and water bodies healthy all year, and could help alleviate the problems we face under drought conditions.
So what does this mean for property/homeowners, applicants, and representatives when you're filing with the Conservation Commission? The main good news is that wetland scientists can now conduct and collect field observations to determine if a stream is intermittent. As a reminder: for the Northeast Region (which includes the town of Newbury), observations of dry streams collected between May 1, 2022 and February 13, 2023 MAY NOT be submitted as proof that a stream is intermittent, as these are the active drought dates for this region.
To view the full press release, please click here. If you have any questions regarding drought status or stream observation regulations, please contact the Conservation Agent at 978-465-0862 ext 310, or by email at conscom@townofnewbury.org.
To view a full summary archive of press release announcements for the 2022/23 drought season, please visit this page.