- Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
- Drought Management Task Force
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Aisha Revolus, Communications Manager
BOSTON — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced nearly $500,000 in grants from the inaugural Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency Grant Program. This funding, provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will help communities reduce indoor and outdoor water use, control water losses within water supply systems, and improve drought management planning.
“Climate change is driving a rise in devastating wildfires and persistent droughts in recent years. Our communities need support to adapt and bounce back from these challenges,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “It is important that we fund projects that improve our readiness for droughts and help conserve water. This will empower municipalities and ensure a healthy water supply for future generations, especially as climate change continues to affect our water systems.”
In recent years, Massachusetts has seen a dramatic increase in droughts in regions across the state. This grant program responds to last year's multiple drought-related wildfires and the ongoing drought that has lasted eight months statewide. Seven of the last nine years have had several months in drought, sometimes reaching Level 3 – Critical Drought for multiple months at a stretch. Record low streamflows and groundwater have been measured and impacts to fire danger, the agricultural sector, and water supply have been widespread.
The program will support a range of projects, including water meter installations, leak detection systems, water conservation planning, and enhanced drought management measures. Each of these initiatives will contribute to reducing water loss, improving drought resilience, and promoting more efficient water use across Massachusetts.
The Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency Grant Program is part of Massachusetts’ broader efforts to adapt to changing climate conditions and ensure the long-term sustainability of its water systems. The following organizations received grants:
| Grantee | Award | Project |
|---|---|---|
| City of Fall River Department of Community Utilities | $50,000 | The City of Fall River Department of Community Utilities will purchase leak detection equipment and related services, including a digital leak noise detector, a digital leak radio detection kit, a utility mapping software license, and professional staff training on the proper use and handling of all aforementioned equipment. This equipment and training will improve water loss control and drought resiliency by allowing the Fall River Department of Community Utilities to quickly and accurately detect water leaks within its water distribution system, which can otherwise go undetected for several months or even indefinitely depending on the outlet into which the water begins to leak. |
| Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG, based in Greenfield) | $50,000 | In this project, FRCOG intends to conduct a Needs Assessment for Public Water Suppliers and for the agricultural community. They will assemble/modify already-available education materials that small water districts can use during droughts to reduce water use. They will also work with water commissioners and staff to offer training to reduce leaks, water use, and improve efficiency. |
| Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) – 101 municipalities around Boston | $50,000 | This project aims to bring together a cohort of watershed organizations from within the MAPC region to foster collaboration, share insights, provide support, and enhance the collective understanding of water management challenges (i.e. drought resiliency and water conservation) in the MAPC region. The project will include establishment of needs and priorities of the groups, development of a comprehensive summary report of past, current, and anticipated planning and implementation efforts focused on drought resilience across the region, and creation of supportive actions that MAPC can provide to the groups and municipalities in the region. |
| Groton Water Department | $49,815 | This project seeks to develop a comprehensive Drought Management Plan and implement targeted water efficiency measures such as calibration of large-diameter and master meters and enhanced leak detection. |
| Quabbin Sunrise Cooperative (Ware) | $49,500 | The Cooperative proposes to purchase and install 65 Kamstrup FlowIQ 2200 water meters at all mobile homes in the Cooperative. This advanced water meter uses ultrasonic technology and built-in Acoustic Leak Detection to identify leaks in the distribution system. The meters will provide faster leak detection for the distribution system, as well as information on leaks, excessive usage, and overall water efficiency within residences of the Cooperative. |
| Springfield Water & Sewer Commission | $44,485 | The Springfield Water & Sewer Commission (the Commission) will purchase leak detection equipment to improve water loss control. This investment will enhance the Commission's ability to identify and address large leaks within the system, improving operational efficiency and reducing water waste. |
| Cape Cod Commission | $44,332 | Cape Cod Commission will survey the water districts around the Cape to determine their rates and any tiered structures that may be in place, or any other pricing incentives used for the purposes of encouraging water conservation. The project includes research of rate structures from other locations in the Commonwealth or further afield to learn best practices and/or lessons learned, collecting and analyzing water use data for Cape Cod water and fire districts to better understand water use patterns correlated with weather, season, drought conditions, impacts on ground water levels, and rate structures, and compiling the results of the analysis into a report and recommendations. |
| Dedham-Westwood Water District | $42,075 | The Dedham-Westwood Water District (District) will purchase and install leak detection devices on 550 fire hydrants. This installation would expand a pilot study of approximately 15% of the District’s distribution system piping to include monitoring all 210 miles of the District’s water mains. The purpose of this technology is to find water leaks so they can be quickly repaired and thereby reduce the District’s overall unaccounted-for-water loss (UAW). |
| Mass Rural Water Association (based in Northfield) | $35,419 | The Mass Rural Water Association will improve their program by purchasing a leak noise correlator that will serve as a multi-functional leak detector for pre-location, pinpointing, and correlation and a ground microphone for identifying abnormal vibrations and leaks at distant contact points in drinking water systems, such as fittings and service connections. |
| Town of Provincetown Water Department | $34,100 | Provincetown Water Department will design District Metered Areas (DMAs) throughout the distribution system to capture real-time data and provide a focused approach to leak detection. DMAs will reduce unaccounted for water in the system and reduce demand on the aquifer. This will mitigate the impacts of drought in the aquifer by conserving water, ensuring more reliable supply. Ultimately, this DMA program will lead to long-term water loss control and conservation. |
| Town of Duxbury | $27,800 | The Town will develop a Water Conservation Plan. The plan will focus on strategies to reduce non-essential outdoor use, enhance drought resiliency, and improve water security, aligning with the grant program’s goal of promoting water efficiency and conservation across Massachusetts. |
| Town of Needham | $13,403.96 | The project will replace existing leaking, below grade and inefficient rotors at the Memorial Field in Needham with high-efficiency irrigation equipment to reduce outdoor water usage at the playing field. The primary objective for the project is to replace current equipment with low-flow nozzles to reduce water usage, replace leaking equipment to minimize water loss, and reset rotor placement to above grade to ensure that watering at the field occurs as effectively as possible to minimize water usage. |
| Town of Danvers – Lead Applicant, on behalf of North Shore Water Resilience Task Force | $5,795 | The project will identify water conservation and demand management priorities of water suppliers of the member towns of the North Shore Water Resilience Task Force. The project will meet this goal by conducting in-depth interviews with municipal water suppliers, and use qualitative analysis to determine common ambitions, such as improving water loss control, and barriers to success between the different suppliers. The project will fund access to the technology necessary for the analysis of demand management information from Public Water Suppliers in the Region. |
For more information, visit EEA’s DRWE Grant Program.
To learn more about water conservation and what residents can do, visit the EEA’s drought and water conservation pages.
EEA’s mission is to protect and improve the Commonwealth's natural resources – including air, water, and land – to support public health, safety, and welfare, while advancing environmental justice and equity for all people.
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