The Manager's report back on a critical drought status report

Executive Summary

This response outlines the City's communication strategies, interdepartmental coordination, water conservation efforts, regulatory updates, and drought management activities in response to ongoing drought conditions from July 2024 through May 2025. It also details the implementation of enforceable water restrictions and provides updates on citywide water supply status. I. Public Outreach and Communication Objective: Increase awareness and promote compliance with drought restrictions and sustainable water use.

Public Outreach

The Water Department’s communications plan includes keeping residents, businesses and other members of our community informed of changes to the drought status by the state’s Energy and Environmental Affairs, important steps the community is required to take in order to adhere to drought regulations, and the promotion of sustainable water use practices.

Thus far in 2025, the City has issued three advisories related to ever-changing drought conditions, while simultaneously promoting ongoing water conservation, including the use and purchase of rain barrels to conserve water for residential irrigation purposes.

In order to create awareness with the broader community, the communications strategy has been focused on reaching a number of key audiences:

Direct outreach and follow-up with the City’s largest water users, including our local universities and largest property owners.

Direct outreach to the Business Associations and Neighborhood Associations

Direct outreach to local places of worship and key City partners, including the Cambridge

Housing Authority

Outreach, follow-up and coverage with/from local media with a focus on the Cambridge Day,

Harvard Crimson, 22-CityView, CCTV, and greater Boston radio

Direct outreach to City employees Additional promotion was conducted with other key influencers in the City.

Furthermore, the City has been intentional in effectively leveraging its core communications channels:

Multiple lead stories were featured in the City’s Daily Update newsletter, which reaches over 16,000 subscribers and has a 60% open rate Multiple alert notifications were issued to all local users on NextDoor, which has nearly 33,000 members in the City of Cambridge New stories were prominently featured on the City website homepage for multiple weeks when the drought status was elevated o Overall, drought-related information was viewed approximately 3,500 times in the last 12 months Social media campaigns were implemented, including a concentrated campaign between April 26-May 13, 2025.

That campaign resulted in nearly 9,000 views from users on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky. Drought status and water use restriction banners were added and prominently displayed on the city’s homepage, individual department homepages and the city’s on-line bill paying homepage. Billing stuffers were updated and added to every envelope for each billing cycle. (See figure 1 example)

Figure 1 – Billing Stuffer Example

II. Interdepartmental Coordination The Water Department met with other city department heads and division managers of areas where high outdoor water use is typical: Provided information and held meetings with the DPWs Parks, Forestry and Golf course divisions, to discuss water conservation for essential outdoor water use as well as required bans for non-essential outdoor water use. Made announcements and provided weekly drought status and water restriction updates for city contractors and private developers during the weekly DPW city-wide construction coordination meetings. Coordinated with the Fire Department leadership and canceled the annual city-wide hydrant flow testing.

III. Regulatory Measures An amendment to City Ordinance 13.08.090 was enacted April 7, 2025, in compliance with the Water Management Act (310 CMR 36.07). The Water Management Act (M.G.L. c. 21G) became effective in March 1986. The Act authorizes the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to regulate the quantity of water withdrawn from both surface and groundwater supplies. The purpose of these regulations (310 CMR 36.00) is to ensure adequate water supplies for current and future water needs.

o Water Management Act Amendment – January 20th 2023: Registrants shall establish enforceable restrictions limiting nonessential outdoor water use. Such restrictions shall be in place during a drought declaration by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the drought region and nonessential outdoor water use shall be restricted in accordance with 310

CMR 36.07(2)(c)

Per the requirements of the state Water Management Act, the Water Department worked directly with the Law Department to develop an amendment to the city’s existing Water System Regulation ordinance 13.08, to develop enforceable non-essential outdoor water use restrictions. The proposed amendment to 13.08.090 was ordained by the City Council on April 7th, 2025 (See Appendix A for amended ordinance)

Since the enactment of the amendment to ordinance 13.08.090, Water Department staff have been trained on the non-essential outdoor water use restrictions for each of the four drought status levels and which outdoor water uses are considered essential and therefore exempt under current regulations. CWD staff have also been tasked with enforcement of the ordinance and are now required to investigate any violations that are observed in the field or reported to the department.

Fortunately to date we have not had to issue any warnings or citations but have responded to multiple phone calls and emails from residents and businesses requesting information or clarifications regarding the new restrictions. Since the enactment of the amendment the drought status has improved from a Level 3 (Critical) to Level 0 (Normal). IV.

Drought Conditions Overview (2024–2025) From July 2024 through May 2025, Cambridge experienced significant drought conditions, primarily due to prolonged periods of below-average precipitation. These conditions led to critical drought declarations, necessitating water conservation measures and highlighting the importance of sustainable water management practices.

Drought Conditions Timeline

Summer to Fall 2024: Beginning in mid-2024, Cambridge and the broader Northeast region faced escalating drought conditions. By November 2024, the Northeast region, including Cambridge, was elevated to a Level 3 – Critical Drought status due to prolonged lack of rain. This marked the second critical drought in Cambridge within two years. Winter 2024–2025: Despite snowfall in February 2025, freezing temperatures prevented effective groundwater recharge, exacerbating drought conditions.