Our Rivers are Dry- Here’s What Critical Drought Looks Like In Massachusetts.

Maybe you’ve noticed all the dryness around us lately. Things feel and look parched! What you’re seeing is a Critical Drought. Your local river has much lower water levels than usual, fish are struggling in shallow pools, and a place you hold dear may have been threatened—or even consumed—by wildfire. 

All of these things are happening because Massachusetts is currently experiencing an unprecedented, and seasonally unusual, drought. The severe droughts in 2020 and 2022 weakened ecosystems and this year’s drought promises to further injure healthy living conditions for people and wildlife.

Massachusetts’s Drought Management Task Force, which monitors and determines drought levels using six drought indices, has officially set Level 3-Critical Drought for the entire state (except Cape Cod and the Islands). Since mid-September, the state has endured weeks of dry weather, with some areas recording their lowest rainfall totals ever. Drought means we are more susceptible to wildfires, so it’s not surprising that hundreds have broken out across the state, burning more acres than usually burn in an entire year (Mass.gov). 

What’s Happening to the Rivers? Photos of Drought Conditions from Across the State

If you want to see what drought looks like across our state, take a look at these photos sent in by Massachusetts Rivers Alliance organizational members.

Southeast Region

Ian Cooke of the Neponset River Watershed Association shared a video, taken by Kate Burak of the Pine Tree Brook Neighbors, of Pine Tree Brook near Milton, MA on October 24th. In the video, a juvenile river herring can be seen struggling to make its way down the brook due to low river flow and leaves clogging the stream.

Other fish are struggling to migrate too. Pine duBois of the Jones River Watershed Association shared a picture of the Association’s visit to Silver Lake near Kingston, MA on October 30th. Silver Lake is the main water supply for the City of Brockton. The large patch of grass at the usual edge of the lake marks where the lake normally flows into the Jones River. The lake’s water level is now much further from the outlet, preventing migration of juvenile river herring out of the lake.

Eastern Shore

Carla Villa of the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) shared this picture of the mainstem of the Ipswich River in downtown Ipswich on October 30th. The river is so low, IRWA staff can stand in the riverbed. In the Ipswich Watershed, Ryan O’Donnell of IRWA reports that most of the spots where they take river water samples don’t have flowing water and that tributaries of the Ipswich are starting to become disconnected from the mainstem of the river. Sadly, Ryan also saw signs of fish kills.

Western Region

Ryan O’Donnell of the Connecticut River Conservancy drives past a section of the Hoosic River in North Adams every week. Ryan tells us, in this photo from November 3rd, that it “is the smallest amount of water I've seen coming over this dam”. The USGS stream gauge downstream in Williamstown shows low levels, with flow at one-quarter of the lowest flows from the same time last year.

Connecticut River Valley Region

Paul Beaulieu of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and MA RI Council of Trout Unlimited shared this picture of the West Branch of the Swift River in Shutesbury, MA on October 30th, which is one of the water sources for the Quabbin Reservoir. The USGS stream gauge shows low levels, with flow at approximately one-quarter of the lowest flows from the same time last year.

Central Region

Elsie Uffelman of the Blackstone River Coalition shared this picture of Cascade Brook outside of Worcester, MA on November 15th. There is no visible flow in the brook and any water left in the stream is completely covered by leaves.

Northeast Region

Utkir Adkhamov of the Nashua River Watershed Association shared this picture of Sucker Brook near Pepperell, MA on November 14th. Sucker Brook is a Coldwater Fisheries Resource (CFR), which are protected resources in Massachusetts to ensure proper environments for coldwater species. Sucker Brook contains state-listed mussel species downstream of this site, which is now completely dry. Jessica Veysey Powell of the Nashua River Watershed Association tells us that the majority of tributaries of the Nashua River are dry, including many CFRs, but the mainstem of Nashua River is flowing for now.

What Does this Mean for the Water that People and Wildlife Depend On?

These visual images show us that drought is having widespread impacts on water supply resources and wildlife. Water inputs to reservoirs are much lower than normal so that reservoirs are running low, affecting the public water supply. Public and private wells depend on groundwater levels, which are also very low. Fish are unable to complete their natural migration cycles or are dying in large numbers due to lack of water in streams, lakes, and rivers. Depending on how long the drought lasts, agriculture in the spring may also be affected. 

While the state has never declared a Level 4- emergency drought, it may need to do so in the coming weeks if we don’t experience more much needed rainfall. 

The Good News: We Can Help!

This information is sobering, but there is good news: we can take steps to prepare for and lessen the impacts of drought. 

At the personal level, we can all take steps to reduce our personal water use. At the state level, we can create and implement policies to ensure we conserve water in times of drought. Mass Rivers will continue to champion “the Drought Bill”  which will empower the state to better manage water resources, reduce fire risks, and protect our rivers and communities. The Massachusetts Senate approved the Drought Bill in the last legislative session. Call your state representatives to help us pass the Drought Bill and make Massachusetts more resilient to climate change. When we take care of our rivers, even in small ways, we help them take care of us.