Water Resources and the Charles River: 
A Fact Sheet

Why Are We Running Out of Water?

Although Massachusetts receives plenty of rain -- about 45 inches a year -- we are beginning to experience the same water resource problems usually associated with the arid west: streams running dry; well levels dropping; problems meeting both summertime and future water demand; fish populations struggling; and recreational opportunities curtailed. Eastern Massachusetts is starting to run out of water and the actions we take now will dictate the health of our water supply and the natural environment in the coming decades. 

In the Charles River Watershed, the consequences of dwindling water resources are seen most in the summer, when public demands on water are high and groundwater, which feeds the river, streams, lakes and wetlands, is at its lowest level. The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) has been working with watershed communities, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to develop long-term solutions to these problems. It is possible to begin to manage our water resources and water infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability to meet all needs. 

What are the Problems?

• Many towns have trouble meeting summertime water demands.
• Water shortages will limit future growth and economic development.
• The headwaters of the Charles and many of its tributaries at times are reduced to a trickle.
• In some stretches of the Charles, 80% of the summertime flow is treated wastewater.
• Boating and fishing in the upper Charles are limited due to low flow conditions.
• Recent government studies show that only 2% of the fish in the Charles are river fish, as opposed to pond species, like carp.
• Low flows reduce fish spawning habitat, increase water temperatures, and exacerbate aquatic plant growth. 
• Pollution concentrations are higher when streamflows are low.
• Flooding increases because stormwater cannot percolate into the ground, instead rainwater washes over paved surfaces, or is piped directly into the river and ponds and quickly lost to the ocean.

The Root of These Problems

Our current water infrastructure dewaters our aquifers, which can reduce available water resources. For example:

• Water withdrawn directly from the river and tributaries, or from nearby wells, reduces the amount of baseflow, which is the streamflow provided from groundwater. In the summer, flow consists almost entirely of this groundwater.
• Recent U.S. Geological Survey studies have established that water withdrawals play a major role in drying up rivers and streams because pumping intercepts groundwater that would otherwise be reaching the stream. 
• About 24 million gallons of water are withdrawn from the Charles River watershed above Dover every day in the summer. Of that, about 30% is lost via evaporation (mostly through lawn watering). In some towns, the summertime loss figure is as high as 50% of the total water withdrawn!
• Water use in some towns doubles in the summertime due to heavy outdoor watering.
• Sewers transport wastewater that would otherwise go back into the ground via septic systems to regional treatment plants.
• Sewers also carry away large quantities of clean groundwater and stormwater that leak into the sewage pipes.

Advocacy Resources

Talking points and phone numbers

Sample Letter to Lt. Governor Kerry Healey and DEP Commissioner Robert Golledge

Water Resources and the Charles River: A Fact Sheet

Media coverage