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Worcester Shuts Down Reservoir Amid Drought
Even after nearly 2-1/2 inches of rain on Tuesday, Worcester remains in a stage 1 drought.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester shut down the Quinapoxet Reservoir on Wednesday due to low capacity, the result of a 2020 drought that has sapped local water reserves.
Worcester's reservoir system was only about 63 percent capacity as of Wednesday due to low rain levels dating back to the winter. The city declared a stage 1 drought at the end of September, and put water restrictions in place on Oct. 5.
Quinapoxet Reservoir, one of the city’s 10 reservoirs, has been taken offline due to low capacity. Worcester's reservoir system reached an overall capacity of 63% on 9/30. Stage 1 Drought restrictions & water conservation: https://t.co/NZ09TTU9AE pic.twitter.com/hv3SaVOuQY
— City of Worcester (@TweetWorcester) October 14, 2020
Most of Worcester County is in a "severe drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with rain levels at only about 83 percent of normal. Some parts of the state, including Dukes, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable and Nantucket counties — and most of Norfolk County — are in an "extreme drought."
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Worcester picked up about 2.42 inches of rain during Tuesday's day-long storm, according to the National Weather Service.
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