Eastern Massachusetts Back in Significant Drought as Cambridge's Main Reservoir Sits Near 20 Percent

Much of eastern Massachusetts has been returned to a significant drought less than a month after the state eased conditions, and records from the state and several communities show the effects reaching from Cambridge's main reservoir to Cape Ann's outdoor-watering rules.

On Oct. 9, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared that the Northeast Region had moved from Level 1, a mild drought, to Level 2, a significant drought, according to notices posted by the City of Woburn and the Cape Ann Current. It was the first change for the region since Sept. 10, when the state had eased it to Level 1. The same declaration returned the Connecticut River Valley Region to normal. The Cape Cod Region and Nantucket County are also at Level 2, and the Southeast Region is at Level 1, the Cape Ann Current reported.

"The Nor'easter brought much-needed rainfall to Massachusetts, but drought conditions continue in several parts of the state," Tepper said in the declaration, as posted by Woburn. "Continued rainfall will be important to support a return to normal conditions."

September rainfall ranged from 5 to 12 inches across Massachusetts, with the highest totals in southern Bristol, Plymouth and western Barnstable counties and the lowest in northeastern and western Massachusetts, according to the state's declaration. Groundwater deficits in the eastern part of the state kept those regions in drought.

Cambridge, which draws its water from its own reservoir system rather than the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, is among the most exposed. The city's Water Department said its primary source, the Hobbs Brook Storage Reservoir, "continues to remain well below normal levels," and that because of a drought that began in 2025, Hobbs Brook did not fully recharge in the spring. Current levels are about 36 percent below the 15-year average, the department said, even after recent rain added about a month of storage.

Mark Gallagher, the Water Department's managing director, told Cambridge Day on Oct. 21 that Hobbs Brook held about 575 million gallons, or 19.8 percent of its 2.9-billion-gallon capacity, roughly unchanged from about 20 percent in September. The reservoir's minimum operating reserve is 500 million gallons, according to Cambridge Day, leaving a margin of about 75 million gallons.

Demand is falling with the season. Gallagher said the city used about 16 million to 17 million gallons a day in August and September, about 13 million now, and expects about 9 million by December or January, Cambridge Day reported. That decline is the main reason the estimated chance that Cambridge will have to buy supplemental MWRA water over the next three months dropped from 14.5 percent in September to 4 percent as of Oct. 20, he said.

If purchases are needed, MWRA water costs Cambridge about $5,000 per million gallons, and purchases over a winter could total several million dollars, Gallagher told Cambridge Day. The Water Department would first draw on a reserve fund of about $7.8 million, though prolonged purchases could eventually affect water bills, he said. The department said normal rainfall through mid-November will be needed to keep its reservoirs above minimum operating level.

The city typically closes the gates at Hobbs Brook in the first or second week of November so the reservoir can recharge through winter and spring, and Gallagher said he expects to keep that schedule if rainfall stays near normal. "Unlike the normal times, we're praying for rain, not for sun," he told Cambridge Day.

The Level 2 designation has triggered local restrictions. Under a city ordinance, Cambridge bans all nonessential outdoor water use at Level 2, except watering ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, and hand-held hoses or watering cans may be permitted, according to the Water Department. Woburn posted an alert on its city website telling residents it is in a declared Level 2 drought. On Cape Ann, Rockport already bans all outdoor water use, the Cape Ann Current reported.

For Level 2, the state's first recommended steps for cities and towns are to limit or ban washing sidewalks, driveways, siding, cars and boats, to set targets for reducing water use and to contact the largest users, the Cape Ann Current reported. Each community sets its own rules, and the state urges residents to check with their local water system.

The state's Drought Management Task Force meets next on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m., according to the Cape Ann Current. Current statewide designations are posted on the state's drought status page.