CRWA in the News

Thirst for water may suck river dry

By Terri Unger, Correspondent

Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle, Tuesday June 2, 2009

Hamilton-Wenham -   Some 335,000 people depend on the Ipswich River for drinking water every day and if the river can continue to meet that demand remains an open question.
And whether or not taps run dry may depend on future water conservation measures by individuals and communities.

The Ipswich River Watershed Association has already launched a water conservation competition for individual households aimed at reducing water consumption this summer; any household in Hamilton and Wenham is eligible.

In all 160,000 people live within the river’s watershed, which encompasses 155 square miles and all or part of 21 communities, including Hamilton and Wenham, which receives their entire public water supply from wells in the Ipswich River basin.

Local experts say the river’s flow is too low, due in part to a 2002 permit issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection allowing an additional 340,000 gallons per day to be drained from the Parker River basin.

In 2003 the environmental group American Rivers ranked the Ipswich River one of the country’s “10 most endangered rivers” because of low water flow — a designation it still carries.

Low flow not only affects the river’s ability to supply drinking water, but also endangers fish populations and other wildlife, which depends on water from the river for survival.

“Too much water is being taken out,” said Kerry Mackin, executive director of the Ipswich River Watershed Association, “and we challenged them on it by filing an appeal with the state, which recently came back in our favor.”

Superior Court Justice Elizabeth M. Fahey overruled the state Department of Environmental Protection and ordered the agency to determine the “safe yield” of the Ipswich.
Safe yield is the amount of water that can be safely pumped out of a river basin without negatively affecting the river and its tributaries.

“It’s fundamental to the Water Management Act of 1986,” said Mackin, “which, the DEP has been ignoring. One of the main issues though, is that the DEP hasn’t implemented a method for determining safe yield. Justice Fahey has asked the DEP for an accurate determination to be completed “as soon as possible.”

Mackin said she would “like to know how much water can be taken from the river without damaging the environment. And then I want to see that permits are limited to that amount, which is what the law calls for.”

“This is a huge victory for those working to protect rivers. It will benefit the Ipswich River and rivers throughout the state that are impacted by excessive water withdrawals and low flows,” said attorney Margaret Van Deusen, who represented the water association, Essex County Greenbelt Association and a group of concerned citizens in bringing the appeal in Superior Court.

In an effort to get water consumption under control, the Association has started a water conservation educational campaign in the form of a contest for all residents who live within the Watershed area with the focus on reducing water use for the months of June, July and August.

Various prizes will be awarded to those with the greatest reductions in water use, including payment of water bills up to a certain amount.

To register for the contest or for more information, visit www.IpswichRiver.org. Registration is due by June 15.

 “Individuals can make a difference,” said Trish Aldrich, development director for the Ipswich River Watershed Association.

The smallest user competition

The Ipswich River Watershed Association is sponsoring a contest to reduce water use this summer.
Contestants will compete in the following categories:

· Water miser — the household with lowest overall usage per person, per day
· Water User, Biggest Loser – the household with biggest reduction in water use
· Raffle Any one who participates and whose household uses 65 gallons per person per day can enter a raffle.
For more information, visit www.IpswichRiver.org

State of the Ipswich River

The Ipswich River Watershed Association says low flow is the biggest issue facing the river.

· In 1997 the Ipswich River was designated as one of the “20 Most Threatened Rivers in America,” as determined by American Rivers.

· In 2003 that designation was upgraded to one of the “10 Most Endangered Rivers in America” due to worsening flow conditions.

· The Ipswich River is still considered a “stressed basin” under the hydrologic criteria developed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission.

Water facts at a glance

· A watershed is the land that “sheds water,” or drains, into particular water body – in this case the Ipswich River. The watershed is also an ecological system, supporting all the life in that area.
· Of the 21 communities included in the Ipswich River watershed, only three: Middleton, North Reading, and Topsfield are entirely within the basin.
· The Ipswich River flows from its headwaters in Burlington, Wilmington and Andover, until reaching Plum Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean in Ipswich.
· The change in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth of the river is only about 115 feet over more than 40 meandering miles of river.
· The Ipswich River has 45 tributary streams, which cover 155 square miles of land.
· The Ipswich River watershed provides drinking water to 335,000 people and thousands of businesses in 14 communities including: Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Lynnfield, Middleton, North Reading, Peabody, Salem, Topsfield, Wenham, and Wilmington.