In A Near-Drought, Only Some In MetroWest Are Under Water Ban

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The lawns of Marlborough and Framingham may stay green through a summer that has been so far very hot and mostly dry. Homeowners in towns like Milford and Natick may not be as lucky.

The entire MetroWest area — from Norfolk County north to Route 2 — is in the early stages of a drought, what the U.S. Drought Monitor calls "abnormally dry." Other parts of the state, including Cape Cod and much of the Berkshires, are in a "moderate drought," which is slightly worse than abnormally dry.

The near-drought conditions have resulted in partial water bans in some towns. Natick's went into effect on Tuesday, and Ashland's has been in place for more than a week. Wayland began a ban back on June 1, and Sudbury has a level 2 "significant drought" ban through Sept. 30. Milford is under a stage 2 drought watch, limiting outside usage to two days per week.

But other nearby communities have no water restrictions in place. It's not a matter of carelessness, it's because of where water comes from.

Framingham and Marlborough are among the 51 communities in the state that get some or all water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The MWRA sources drinking and washing water mainly from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs — two massive bodies that are near normal levels right now.

"At 410 billion gallons, Quabbin holds enough water to last nearly six years" MWRA spokeswoman Ria Convery said Wednesday. "As of this morning, it is 94.4 percent full, which is well within the normal operating range for this time of year."

Other local towns often rely on groundwater, which is affected by drought conditions. For example, Sudbury gets its water from the Raymond Road, Hop Brook and Great Meadow aquifers. The Milford Water Company draws from a variety of sources, mainly wells and Echo Lake, which can hold close to 500 million gallons.

But even if you're in a MWRA community, it doesn't hurt to be conservative. Convery said that MWRA communities have reduced water usage about 30 percent in recent years, which helps limit bans.

Here's how MWRA serves communities in MetroWest and nearby:

• Ashland Sewer only
• Clinton Water and Sewer
• Dedham Water (partially supplied), Sewer
• Framingham Water and Sewer
• Lexington Water and Sewer
• Marlborough Water (partially supplied)
• Natick Sewer only
• Needham Sewer, Water (partially supplied)
• Newton Water and Sewer
• Northborough Water (partially supplied)
• Norwood Water and Sewer
• Southborough Water
• Walpole Sewer only
• Wellesley Sewer, Water (partially supplied)
• Weston Water only
• Westwood Sewer, Water (partially supplied)
• Worcester Water (emergency back-up only)