| AUTHOR: Overarching Issue #5 of 5 |
Oct. 2, 5:10 PM |
| Drinking water base flows |
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The actions in this plan are structured to target five overarching issues as identified by the team. One of the five issues is:
5. Impacts of growth on drinking water supplies, maintaining adequate base flows in rivers and streams.
In 1997, Team engaged the services of agencies US Geological Services USGS and DEM personnel to supplement the water sample collections with complimentary flow monitoring data for DEP/WSM, DMF and SRWC.
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 The numbers and locations of private wells and amounts withdrawn are not well documented.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.
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