Stow Board hears ‘‘critical’’ drought warning; town to lead public conservation push

Mary McDowell, chair of the Stow Board of Health, told the Select Board on June 23 that the town is at a level‑3 — “critical” — drought and urged coordinated town action to conserve groundwater and protect private wells.

"We are at a level 3, which is a critical drought," McDowell said, describing two-plus years of below‑average recharge and saying some shallow wells already risk running dry. She asked the board and town departments to adopt a single, repeated message about water conservation and to lead by example.

The Board of Health recommended a three‑part near‑term plan: post and link state drought guidance on the town website immediately, include a conservation message in the July town newsletter, and prepare a short package of recommendations by July 8 so the Select Board can consider formal endorsement at its July 14 meeting.

Select Board members agreed that immediate outreach — not waiting for a formal committee to be formed — is essential. Town Administrator Denise said she would update the town website and include drought guidance in the administration’s July newsletter. Several board members and staff urged framing the outreach to both inform and empower residents, not to prompt fatalism.

Experts and residents on the call amplified the urgency. Alan Pierce summarized groundwater monitoring trends and said long‑term recharge has declined: "we are not recharging enough during that recharge period to return to where we were the year before," he said, urging public education on how well depths and local geology affect household risk.

McDowell and the board stressed practical steps residents can take now: reduce outdoor water use, shorten showers, run appliances only when full, fix leaks and maintain septic systems. The Board of Health will collect reports of wells that run dry and will publish guidance for private well owners. The board also noted state restrictions tied to drought declarations — such as bans on non‑essential outdoor water use for public systems — even though Stow does not operate a public water supply and cannot directly ban private well use.

Next steps: Town staff will post state task‑force guidance and a short town checklist online, include drought messaging in the July newsletter, and deliver a recommended outreach and departmental checklist to the Select Board by July 8 for possible endorsement on July 14.