PROVIDENCE – “Levels in the state’s rivers and streams have dropped dramatically due to the lack of significant rainfall during the month of August,” the R.I. Water Resources Board and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Water Resources said a joint announcement urging farmers, businesses and the public to take voluntary measures to conserve water.
Last month was the second-driest August on record, with the state receiving only 1.09 inches of rain, the agencies said. The state’s average August rainfall is 4 inches.
The lack of rain and the recent warm temperatures have caused the Blackstone, Pawtuxet, Pawcatuck and Hunt rivers to drop “from normal flow levels at mid-month to extremely low-flow conditions at present,” the agencies said. Groundwater levels have also been declining. Given that no rain is forecast until the middle of next week, the agencies said, the declines are expected to continue.
Commercial users are “being encouraged to curtail their water use to the extent possible,” until further notice, the DEM and Water Resources Board said. Farmers in the Pawcatuck watershed are being advised by the DEM’s Division of Agriculture to “minimize impacts to stream flow.” And the public is being asked “to refrain from any non-essential uses, such as watering lawns and gardens and filling swimming pools.” The requests include businesses and individuals who rely on private wells.
Besides the risk to freshwater fish and to the water supply, the dry conditions have created an elevated risk of fire, spurring a call for wildfire precautions as well. Campers and others were urged to exercise care with outdoor fires, smokers were urged to use ashtrays, and users of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles to be sure their vehicles have mufflers to minimize sparks.
Water conservation tips are available from the R.I. Water Resources Board at www.wrb.ri.gov/education.htm. Information on the water-use restrictions imposed by all major public suppliers can be found at www.wrb.ri.gov/waterrestrictions.htm.
