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Last month wrapped up as one of the wettest Mays on record in the
region, according to the National Weather Services. As of the 28th,
Worcester and Boston were both poised to climb even higher in the
record books for wettest Mays on record. Here’s a breakdown:
Boston
•
Wettest
May on record: 1954 with 13.38"
•
May
2025 (as of the 28th): 7.01" — the 5th wettest
→
4th
wettest: 7.32" (1967)
→
3rd
wettest: 8.77" (1984)
Worcester
•
Wettest
May on record: 1984 with 9.94"
•
May
2025 (as of the 28th): 7.78" — currently the 4th wettest
With all that rain, we shouldn’t have to worry about water bans,
right?
Not so fast. A number of factors determine whether or when
communities impose water bans, notes Robert Cantoreggi, Director of
Public Works for the Town of Franklin, who strongly prefers the more accurate term, Conservation Plan.
Currently
the Town of Franklin obtains its drinking water from 14 groundwater
supply wells. In addition to the 14 water supply wells, the Town
operates 8 booster pump stations, 6 water storage tanks, 2,000+
hydrants, 170 miles of water mains and provides over 9,500 water
services to homes and businesses. But a lot of local policy is determined by the state.
"Our water withdrawal Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permit requires that we restrict outdoor water use to one day a week," said Cantoreggi. "As you know we use the residents trash day for ease of understanding. Also residents are not supposed to water between 9am and 5pm but hand watering is always allowed," he added.
More stringent "bans" may be put into place by the State's Sec of Energy and Environmental Affairs if a severe "drought" is declared. Different levels require different actions by the Town. We are technically in Level 1 Drought right now even with all the rain this month, Cantoreggi noted.
"Brutus is correct it is not a Water Ban," said Doug Martin, Water and Sewer Superintendent for the Town of Franklin. Martin said in the Bay State, a 'Water Ban' is enacted when the area is at a Level 3 drought condition or greater. "Our 'Water Conservation' Restriction is required by our Water Management Act (WMA) permit with MassDEP," he explained. This year the Water Conservation Restriction started on June 2 and continues through September 8th (the second Monday in September). Information on this is posted on the DPW website - https://www.franklinma.gov/628/Water-Conservation
Martin said a popular misconception in town is that we don't have enough water due to the yearly Water Conservation Restrictions. The Town’s 2024 permitted Maximum Authorized Annual Withdrawal was 3.27 million gallons per day (MGD) and our average day was 2.26 MGD, so the Town had 1.01 MGD in excess water capacity in 2024.
MassDEP's threshold regulation for water consumption is 65 gallons per day (GDP), per household. The Town uses 45 GPD, per household, a whopping 35% less than the state recommended average, he said. In recognition of this achievement, Franklin has received water conservation excellence awards from MassDEP. "To continue the Town's excellence in water conservation, we encourage all residents to sign up for our WaterSmart Web Portal -- a free service that allows residents to access all of their utility data, compare their water use to industry standards, and get access to customized recommendations on how they can save water and money," Martin explained.
"As Brutus indicated as of May 20th we are currently in a Level 1 drought for our region and have been at least in a level 1 drought since the fall," Martin said. The Drought Management Task Force at the state level, periodically updates that status. Since the Fall Franklin has seen its well drawdowns rebound nicely putting the town in a good position going into the Summer. If drought conditions change and a level 3 or higher drought level is declared then per the WMA permit "we will need to institute a Full Water Ban to comply with the State Regulations," Martin added.
