The Cambridge Water Department has banned all nonessential outdoor water use until further notice in the wake of the state declaring a Level 2 significant drought for much of Massachusetts. The drought declaration came after a summer of particularly low rain and is the second in a year.
Members of the city’s Water Board at a Tuesday meeting reviewed graphs showing reservoir levels at 52 percent of capacity at the end of August – lower than at the same time in any year except 2016, when the city was forced to switch to a regional water supply. “This isn’t good,” said Ann Roosevelt, the chair.
Under a level 2 declaration, the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan prohibits residents and businesses from filling pools, washing cars, pressure-washing patios or sidewalks and running private sprinkler systems.
Exceptions include “watering of ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, handheld hose or watering cans,” as well as essential uses such as vegetable gardens, firefighting and core business functions. Private or publicly owned athletic fields irrigation must occur only during certain hours, and golf fields can still be irrigated, though at 60 percent of normal levels.
Violators can be punished under the law, said Mark Gallagher, managing director of the Cambridge Water Department. A 2023 amendment to the Massachusetts Water Management Act requires all public water suppliers and municipalities to “establish enforceable restrictions limiting nonessential outdoor water use,” which Cambridge added to its bylaws this year. Gallagher said if the city didn’t enforce the bans, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection “would restrict our water withdrawal permits.”
Cambridge gives a warning for a first-time violation, followed by fines. Violations can be enforced by city staff, police officers or the Animal Commission, according to the Water Department.
Cambridge residents have generally complied, Gallagher said, with no known violations so far. “We get pretty much positive support from pretty much everybody,” he said, adding that at this time of year, most people have begun winding down irrigation. Sprinklers with automatic timers can pose issues. “Oftentimes, people forget that they even have one,” Gallagher said.
Somerville and Boston are also within the Level 2 drought area but are exempt from the ban. Both cities get their water from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs, which are managed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. These reservoirs have more than two years of water supply on hand, Gallagher said.
Cambridge has its own water supply. Though groundwater levels are mostly normal, they are quickly declining, as is streamflow, affecting “habitats, vegetation and fish migration.”
Switching to MWRA
The last time Cambridge experienced drought was between October and May, which reached Level 3 critical drought status. “This is, I think, the first time in a while that we’ve had years of drought back-to-back,” Gallagher said. Cambridge also experienced severe drought in 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2017, “our reservoirs were filled to overflowing and never really went down, because it was a very rainy year,” Gallagher said. “We’re just at the mercy of the weather patterns.”
Even if the drought worsened, Cambridge residents wouldn’t go dry – the city could switch to MWRA water. “They would be able to meet 100 percent of our demand,” Gallagher said.
To help the reservoir system recharge, the Water Department encouraged residents to practice water conservation tactics such as taking shorter showers, using dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads and immediately fixing faucet or toilet leaks. Gallagher said the department will give residents dye tabs to check their toilets for leaks, and encouraged people to upgrade to water-efficient fixtures such as WaterSense appliances. Other conservation tips are on the Water Department website.
“That’s primarily all that we can do,” Gallagher says. “We preach water conservation. And we hope for rain.”
Sue Reinert contributed to this report.
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