Nicholas Johnson, assistant superintendent of the Adams Water District, checks the town well water levels on Monday.
This brook, which passes under the rail trail near the Adams Visitors Center, is shown on Wednesday running slow and low after several weeks of dry conditions.
A North Adams family cools off at the splash pad on Monday. From left are Sawyer Westervelt, Robert Skelton, Kennedy Skelton and Becky Agnew. North Adams has yet to impose water-use restrictions.
The Mount Williams Reservoir on Pattison Road in North Adams appears parched around the edges on Monday.
The following towns are under water use restrictions: Adams, Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale, Pittsfield and Williamstown.
Nicholas Johnson, assistant superintendent of the Adams Water District, checks the town well water levels on Monday.
ADAMS — Wanted: a widespread, soaking rainfall.
That's been missing in Berkshire County for most of the summer, leading some communities adopt water restrictions and sound the alarm about conservation tactics.
“We really need some rain," said John Barrett, superintendent of the Adams Water Department, which is operated by the Adams Fire District.
The town has been under drought-induced water restrictions since July 13. "The lack of rain definitely impacts a lot of things,” Barrett said. “This year it’s very dry. And every year it’s getting worse.”
The Adams restrictions prohibit lawn and garden watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Cars can only be washed at a local car wash, and the refilling of pool is also prohibited.
Other widely known suggestions for conserving water include only running the dishwasher if it’s full, turning off the water while brushing teeth, taking shorter showers and fixing any leaky plumbing.
Anyone found violating the restrictions may receive a warning, and repeated violations could result in fines. Under current drought conditions, the first violation would result in a verbal warning. The second draws a written warning, and the third a $100 fine. Under more severe drought conditions, fines can go as high as $300 for any violation.
Restrictions also went into place this summer in communities across the Berkshires, including Williamstown and Pittsfield, where — according to the National Weather Service — rainfall is four inches below normal for the year.
The following towns are under water use restrictions: Adams, Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale, Pittsfield and Williamstown.
Cheshire, Dalton and Hinsdale have also adopted restrictions.
In Adams, despite those restrictions, water usage is at a yearlong high. Daily usage from January through June averaged between 720,000 to 730,000 gallons. In July it grew to 824,000 gallons, according to Barrett.
“We’re in the least severe of drought conditions," Barrett said. “And the well is a foot lower than normal. So we had to implement the restrictions because the state requires it. Nevertheless, lately we’ve been seeing higher daily usage.”
Meanwhile, state guidelines show that during a level 1 mild drought, the town’s goal should be reduction of water usage by 10 to 15 percent.
This brook, which passes under the rail trail near the Adams Visitors Center, is shown on Wednesday running slow and low after several weeks of dry conditions.
A quick survey by The Eagle with residents at the Adams Hometown Market parking lot found that public awareness of the restrictions was lacking.
A North Adams family cools off at the splash pad on Monday. From left are Sawyer Westervelt, Robert Skelton, Kennedy Skelton and Becky Agnew. North Adams has yet to impose water-use restrictions.
“I didn’t even know about any water restrictions,” said Christine LaRocque. After hearing what the restrictions are, she said she doesn’t violate any of them anyway.
“I don’t water my lawn. I only water the garden before sunrise,” she said. “And I don’t have a pool.”
For residents Barbara Bates and Cyrus Furtado, it’s pretty much the same.
“I have a tiny lawn, so I don’t water it,” Bates said.
“I don’t water my lawn, I only do gardening in the evening, and I don’t have a pool,” noted Furtado.
One woman passing by said she didn’t want to comment because “I just don’t care about that.”
The town of Adams is working with the water department to reduce its water usage as well. “We have two playing field with irrigation, and we’re reducing the amount of watering for those fields without damaging them,” said Jay Green, town administrator.
There are some plants in pots along the Park Street section of downtown, but they don’t require much water so that process will remain unchanged, he added.
Not every community in the Berkshires is hurting for water. For example, North Adams hasn't implemented any restrictions. The reservoirs that supply water to the city are looking fine, according to Tim Lescarbeau, commissioner of public services for the city.
The Mount Williams Reservoir on Pattison Road in North Adams appears parched around the edges on Monday.
The water level at the Mount Williams reservoir, one of two that supply the city, appeared to be down two or three feet, but it has seen tougher times in the last few years.
“The North Adams reservoirs are currently full and I see no need for any restrictions at this time,” Lescarbeau said via email. “Western Mass is only in a mild drought condition, Level 1. I’m not saying this couldn’t change over the next several weeks but we are monitoring closely and will make changes as necessary.”
In Great Barrington, one of the county's largest communities, water restrictions have also not been implemented.
One of the ways the town of Adams measures dry conditions is by monitoring water flow in the Hoosic River.
Figures supplied by Barrett show that water flow in May at the Adams Hoosic River stream gauge was at 147 cubic feet per second. In August, it’s down to between 50 and 20 cubic feet per second.
Barrett believes in climate change and said that the town is actively developing a climate resilience plan. And, he added, there should be risk assessments to determine how vulnerable the town and the state are to the effects of climate change.
“It’s a growing concern,” Barrett noted, adding that some folks just don’t know or don’t care.
“Some people just think that they pay for it (water), so they’re going to use it,” he said. “But this has to be a communitywide effort to protect us and try to maintain our water resources. The more water everybody uses, the less water there is underground, and that goes for the whole state.”
As for the ongoing dry conditions, there’s not much relief in sight.
“What we need is widespread, soaking rainfall,” said Michael Main, a meteorologist with the Albany, N.Y., office of the National Weather Service. “But for the next eight to 11 days, we’re expecting near to slightly above normal rainfall, which might help to keep things from getting worse. But it’s not enough to end the drought conditions. We need a surplus of rain to put a dent in the drought.”
Rainfall at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport for the year up to Aug. 16 measured 22.33 inches. That's more than 4 inches below the normal for this point in the year (26.4 inches).
The period of June 1 to Aug 16 has been especially dry, with only 6 inches of rain in Pittsfield. Normally 11 inches of rain falls in that time period, Main noted.
Drought conditions are much worse to the east. In the Boston metro area, Main said, they are experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions, where there has only been 25 to 50 percent of normal rainfall.
Scott Stafford can be reached at sstafford@berkshireeagle.com or 413-281-4622.
Scott Stafford has been a reporter, photographer, and editor at a variety of publications, including the Dallas Morning News and The Berkshire Eagle.
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