The Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday declared a Level 2 Significant Drought for the Northeastern region of Massachusetts, including Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties.
The declaration of a Level 2 Significant Drought comes after more than three months of below-average rainfall. The last drought spanned from January to August of 2021.
In order to mitigate the effects of the drought, residents in Level 2 Significant Drought areas are encouraged to minimize water use both indoors and outdoors, fix any leaks, and limit outdoor watering by hand between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m., the agencies said in a statement.
The announcement notes that drought mitigation should not come before meeting essential needs and emphasizes the importance of hydration and fire protection.
Massachusetts residents can find out more about how to calculate and lessen their water use with the online Massachusetts Water Conservation Toolkit.
The Level 2 Significant Drought status will remain until the next alert update in July.
Emma Fringuelli can be reached at [email protected].
