Cambridge has returned to significant drought conditions after a brief reprieve in September, but city water officials say recent rainfall and declining seasonal demand have substantially reduced the likelihood that the city will need to purchase supplemental water to make it through the winter.
The Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force elevated the Northeast region, which includes Cambridge, from Level 1, mild drought, to Level 2, significant drought, on Oct. 9, less than a month after downgrading the region to mild drought on Sept. 10.
Despite the worsening regional designation, Cambridge Water Department Managing Director Mark Gallagher said Wednesday that the city’s outlook has improved since September. The estimated likelihood of purchasing supplemental water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) over the next three months has fallen from 14.5% in September, when officials were preparing for possible purchases as early as October, to just 4% as of Tuesday.
“The rains over the past month have actually added approximately a month’s worth of storage to our system, which is helpful,” Gallagher said. “But … we still have a long way to go to get back up to what would be considered a normal storage level.”
He said Cambridge’s Hobbs Brook Storage Reservoir remains severely depleted. Gallagher confirmed Wednesday that the reservoir holds approximately 575 million gallons, or 19.8% of its 2.9-billion-gallon capacity, roughly unchanged from 20% in September. According to the city’s latest drought announcement, water levels remain approximately 36% below the 15-year average.
Hobbs Brook is one of three interconnected reservoirs supplying Cambridge, with water flowing from Hobbs Brook into Stony Brook, then into Fresh Pond, where it is drawn into the city’s treatment plant. Gallagher said the city typically closes the gates at Hobbs Brook during the first or second week of November, allowing the reservoir to recharge throughout the winter and spring before reopening around June. Despite its unusually low water levels, he expects Cambridge will be able to follow that schedule this year, provided rainfall remains near normal.
“The earlier we close them, the longer it has to recharge,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the apparent discrepancy — persistently low water levels at Hobbs Brook even as the potential need for purchasing supplemental water falls — stems mainly from lower seasonal demand. Cambridge consumed approximately 16 million to 17 million gallons of water daily in August and September, compared with about 13 million gallons now, a figure expected to fall to around 9 million gallons by December or January.
If insufficient rainfall forces Cambridge to continue drawing from Hobbs Brook, however, the city could eventually have to purchase MWRA water as the reservoir approaches its minimum operating reserve of 500 million gallons. MWRA water costs the city approximately $5,000 per million gallons, Gallagher confirmed Wednesday, with purchases potentially totaling several million dollars if needed throughout the winter. The Water Department would initially cover those expenses using its reserve fund, which currently holds approximately $7.8 million, although prolonged purchases could eventually affect residents’ water bills.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest seasonal outlook favors above-average precipitation in Massachusetts over the next three months, although Gallagher cautioned against relying too heavily on long-range forecasts.
For Cambridge residents, the return to significant drought conditions means renewed restrictions on nonessential outdoor water use, although Gallagher said the change is unlikely to have much practical impact as colder weather brings lawn irrigation to an end.
Gallagher urged residents to conserve water indoors by running dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads, avoiding running faucets unnecessarily and checking for leaks, particularly in toilets. The Water Department offers free dye tablets at its office to help residents detect leaking toilets.
Cambridge remains in a drought, with no guarantee that recent rainfall will continue.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed. We’ll make it through,” Gallagher said. “Unlike the normal times, we’re praying for rain, not for sun.”
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