Water levels on the North Shore are still close to average but dropping fast due to a recent lack of precipitation.
Up through last night, not a single drop of moisture had fallen in February, and January saw just 2.67 inches. That's almost three-quarters of an inch less than the 30-year average, according to The National Weather Service. In total, the North Shore has received about an inch-and-a-half less precipitation than normal in January and February.
"It's not a dire situation right now, but if the flows continue to drop at their current rate, it could be a problem soon," said Kerry Mackin, the executive director of the Ipswich River Watershed Association, which keeps track of the health of the watershed that provides most of the North Shore with its usable water. "Another week or two (of dry weather), and the river could be in a little trouble."
Normal river flow for this time of year at the South Middleton monitoring station is 68 cubic feet per second. As of Wednesday, the flow was 57 cubic feet per second, down over the past week from about 135 cubic feet per second, according to the watershed association.
By comparison, when most of the 13 towns that draw public drinking water from the Ipswich River restricted outdoor water usage last summer, the South Middleton gauge measured 5.1 cubic feet per second.
"The Ipswich River is very susceptible to short term droughts, but if this happens in the summer it is a much bigger problem because people are using more water," Mackin said.
Typically, water rationing isn't needed in winter months even during droughts, because people and nature use much less water. In the summer, plants suck up a lot of the water before it reaches the river, Mackin said. However, winter emergency water rationing is not unprecedented. In the winter of 2001-2002 Danvers had emergency water rationing after an extended drought, Mackin said.
Although the water flow has dropped almost 60 percent in a week, the flow is only slightly below average for what is normal because, until recently, there was a water excess.
Maybe surprisingly, Eastern Massachusetts received .41 more snow and rainfall in November and December than the 30-year average, according to the National Weather Service. There have been 10.85 inches of precipitation in the Boston area from Nov. 1 through yesterday; the 30-year average for that time frame is 11.89, the weather service said.
"We haven't gotten any snow, but it hasn't been all that dry as far as the monthly rainfall," said Thomas Knowlton, the superintendent of the Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board. The board operates the water system and keeps an eye on water levels in the Wenham Lake and Putnamville reservoirs, to ensure enough usable water for both cities. The system is doing just fine, he said.
"The reservoirs are about 96 percent full and are on target for this time of the year," he said. "We need to leave a little room for the spring."
Putnamville is completely full, while Wenham Lake is almost there, he said.
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