Following Drought, State Grant To Help Curb Impact On Ipswich River

HAMILTON-WENHAM, MA – The Town of Danvers received a $103,940 grant for water withdrawal planning and data collection after the year's serious drought conditions. The town will lead a regional collaboration to help lessen the drought impact on the Ipswich River, which most North Shore towns and cities use to some extent.

Danvers Director of Public Works David Lane said Middleton, Lynnfield, Wenham, Hamilton, and Topsfield are officially collaborating with Danvers to plan ways to reduce water use. Beverly, Peabody, and Salem also use water from the Ipswich River Basin, Lane said.

"This project is an important step forward, with several municipalities in the Ipswich River basin now embracing a coordinated approach to systematically assessing our current challenges and identifying some potential long-term solutions that don’t just rely on enhanced conservation practices," wrote Wenham Town Administrator Peter Lombardi in his latest update to the Board of Selectmen.

Lombardi also wrote that the Water Department is working with the Department of Fish and Game and the Ipswich River Watershed Association to conduct a public education and outreach campaign to improve the area's water conservation rates.

"We're going to get together and compile the data on water withdrawals, who's withdrawing what, and use DEP models to identify what the effect is on the river," said Lane. He said they want to get their findings into the public to help clarify the impacts of withdrawals.

Lane said the group will also look at storm water and sanitary sewer water – most of which essentially goes back into the ocean – and whether they should be recharging it into the ground. Governor Charlie Baker announced the nine Water Conservation Grants – totaling nearly $647,000 – on Thursday.

"As Massachusetts continues to experience serious drought conditions, these grants are an important tool for the state to help municipalities ensure they have enough clean water," said Governor Charlie Baker. "Today’s water conservation and planning grants will support local projects that protect water quality, provide habitat improvements, upgrade water supply operations, and mitigate the impacts of water withdrawal."

The other grants went to Auburn, Dedham-Westwood, Millis, Plainville, Provincetown, Scituate, Shrewsbury, and Wrentham. The grants are part of the Water Management Act Grant Program, an effort by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to maintain healthy rivers and streams and, where possible, improve degraded water resources over time. The WMA Grant Program helps water suppliers by providing grants for watershed planning projects, demand management, minimizing for the impacts of existing withdrawals, and mitigating for increased water withdrawal impacts.

"It is important for the Commonwealth to assist local officials in their management of these vital natural resources," said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. "These projects will protect local watersheds, improve or increase in-stream flow, and improve the efficiency of water use within that water basin."

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