May 2008 Water-Conditions Statement

Surface-Water Conditions

Surface-water flows at the end of May 2008 were generally normal (between lowest and highest 25 percent of flows for May) in Rhode Island and in most Massachusetts river basins. Flows were below normal (lowest 25 percent of flows for May) in the Parker, upper Ipswich, Hoosic, lower Housatonic, and Westfield River Basins in Massachusetts. This assessment is based on monthly flow statistics (30-year period from 1971 to 2000) for 54 near-real-time streamflow-gaging stations with 30 or more years of record. No record-high or record-low monthly mean discharges were recorded during the month of May. No surface-water-flow data are available for Cape Cod.

All data are provisional and subject to revisions. Please refer to the Surface-Water Conditions map for more information.

Ground-Water Conditions

Ground-water levels at the end of May were generally normal (between highest and lowest 25 percent of levels for May) in Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Ground-water levels were also generally normal in Rhode Island, including Block Island. Please refer to the May Ground-Water Conditions map for conditions of individual wells and other information.

New record-low ground-water levels for the month of May were measured in the Georgetown 168 and Webster 1 wells in Massachusetts and in the Coventry 466 well in Rhode Island. No other record-high or record-low ground-water levels were measured during the month of May.

This assessment is based on the evaluation of 124 wells with 10 or more years of record. The data sources for variables OWc (monthly well reading), OWmax (historical high water level for period of well record), and OWr (maximum annual range for period of well record), which are used in conjunction with USGS Open-File Report 80-1205 to estimate high ground-water levels at sites in Massachusetts, are identified on the Well Characteristics Web page of the Ground-Water-Data Web page.

Reservoir Conditions

Borden Brook/Cobble Mountain, Quabbin and Scituate Reservoirs were 93-, 99-, and 103-percent full, respectively, at the end of May. In comparison, Borden Brook/Cobble Mountain, Quabbin, and Scituate Reservoirs were 94-, 100- and 103-percent full, respectively, at the end of April.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection, provides reservoir figures for Borden Brook/Cobble Mountain Reservoirs and Quabbin Reservoir. The Providence Water Supply Board provides reservoir figures for Scituate Reservoir.