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
Western Region
Connecticut River Valley Region
Central Region
Northeast Region
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.
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