| AUTHOR: Issues & Strategies #4 of 7 |
Oct. 3, 2:21 PM |
| Water Quantity |
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Issues:
The NCW does not have a single water source. Most of the water is accessed and supplied through, municipal surface water supplies and / or well fields located within and outside of the watershed. A number of communities have access water rights to the Ipswich River. Some communities can also access water from Metropolitan Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and from privately owned wells. The numbers and locations of private wells and amounts withdrawn are not well documented. Droughts have plagued the region in the past. The high population density places demand on the water resources in the drainage basin for water supply, even though several municipalities actually derive their water supply from surface or groundwater sources outside of the North Coastal Watershed. Projected water demand at buildout for municipalities will exceed presently permitted supply 12,632,148 gallons per day (gpd). Data compiled from (EOEA 2002 The State of Our Environment – A Special Report on Community Preservation and the Future of our Commonwealth). An area of significant concern is the Sauces River system that is affected by low flow conditions caused in part by registered and permitted water withdrawals by the Lynn Water and Sewer Commission. Water is diverted from the Sauces River mainstream into Hawks Pond, part of the LWSC Water Supply Reservoir system. Permitted and registered withdrawals of 10.21 MGD by the City of Lynn and a permitted withdrawal of 0.28 MGD by the Colonial Golf Course in Lynnfield contribute to a section of the Saugus River being dry (Cashins 1997). The town of Rockport is seeking to expand its water supply by the establishment of a new reservoir and the diversion of 3 intermittent streams.
Strategies;
Assist DEP/Drinking Water Supply personnel to update files and permits issued to all registered water users. Protect watershed lands around water supplies. But the drawdowns needed for water supply protection cannot be so great that they wipe out the wetlands and in-stream flows that maintain the Commonwealth's biodiversity. Seek to employ a better balance between public water supply demands and designated uses such as Aquatic Life. Assist water suppliers in securing funds for Watershed Protection. Assist public water suppliers and DEP regulators in implementing water conservation measures such as leak detection installation and calibration of water meters. While providing a valuable resource to the communities at great cost savings this program helps the communities to meet one of its general water conservation practices under their Water Management Act permits.
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