State Unveils Plan To Protect Water Resources
The Patrick Administration has announced a new plan it said will help protect the state's water bodies while meeting water consumption needs of communities.
The Sustainable Water Management Initiative (SWMI), was released by the state's Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs with the goal of maintaining healthy rivers and streams and improving degraded water resources over time.
"This initiative will substantially improve our management of water, provide greater balance between human needs and aquatic habitat, and both support and drive beneficial economic development policy," said Gov. Deval Patrick.
According to a statement from the EEA, Massachusetts receives 44 inches of precipitation in an average year, which is enough to meet the water needs of the state's people and environment, but because precipitation isn't distributed evenly throughout the year, there are periods of time when water available doesn't meet all needs.
The SWMI framework is a plan that will set into motion regulations that implement "stream flow" criteria: science-based standards to ensure that streams do not dry up. It also establishes a safe yield requirement that can be applied consistently and clearly across the state. The statement said that's a "vast improvement over the state's current water withdrawal permitting process."
The initiative is intended to encourage communities that have not already done so to make investments in water conservation, thereby saving money and making their local environment more attractive for residents.
Information from four pilot programs, including Shrewsbury, will be included into a draft of the regulations which will be subject to public review and comments. The state plans to have final regulations in place by December 2013. The EEA has allocated about $11 million to assist communities and water suppliers with implementing the new water withdrawal requirements.
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