Comments on: When Rivers Run Dry: Northeast Wrestles With Water Shortages

By: Colin Polsky

Colin Polsky — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:09:45 +0000

I co-authored an article in 2007 that showed data, for 6 MA towns in the past ~20 years, that the # of days per year where the towns was under a water-use restriction (voluntary or mandatory) has increased, while the amount of precipitation has also increased (or at least not decreased).

By: Paul Mueller

Paul Mueller — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:29:13 +0000

Peter, your comment makes the assumption that human population growth is flat or negative. Do you really think it is? In fact it as growing and become more tightly clustered in higher densities, increasing dramatically the local water needs of the human population. Unfortunately, the supply of fresh water is finite. As we take water out of our environment for public and industrial uses we take it away from the natural world and often pollute it badly before returning it to it’s source making it unusable by either. Your skepticism that our increasing population is not impacting water resources defies common sense.

By: Steven McArdell

Steven McArdell — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:41:53 +0000

As I understand it, most of the water that goes into the sewerage outfall pipe is fresh. That water leaks into the porous sewerage system instead of returning to the lakes and streams.Maybe we could get some TARP money to fix this archaic system.

By: Sadie Welsh

Sadie Welsh — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:30:34 +0000

In addition to creating legistlature to protect our waterways from overuse, I think that we should educate the public about ways to conserve water right at home. I do not think that we can keep pretending that water is a given and not a precious resource. If we take the wildlife out of the equation, which I certainly do not condone, we are still looking at a picture in which fresh water is finite, whether we like it or not.

By: Wayne Eckerson

Wayne Eckerson — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:01:13 +0000

Peter, I’m not sure statistics are needed, although they would be required before any substantive action is taken. In my town, accelerated development is causing the water company to pump more water from our reservoir and underground wells and they want to open more wells to accommodate growth. That activity is having a dramatic impact on the Weir River, which in the summer, often ceases to exist — which never used to be the case.

By: Peter Meyer

Peter Meyer — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:49:21 +0000

It seems to me that this is a lot of hand wringing, but about what? Is there less precipitation than “before”? Do the ski resorts keep and store the water now, after the skiing season? I would like to see some comparative statistics about increasing water use and precipitation in New England over a decade and whether that increase reflects a net loss, gain, or is stable.