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4-09-2025 9:42pm
Westwood and Dedham Drought Declaration Downgraded; Restrictions Relaxed
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Effective April 9th this week, Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)/Drought Management task force has downgraded the drought declaration for the Southeast Region from Level 2, Significant Drought Conditions to Level 1, Mild Drought Conditions. With the change, recently announced restrictions on any non-essential outdoor water use are replaced by more relaxed restrictions which allow such watering on one designated day of the week.
Under the downgraded (but still mandatory) Level 1 restrictions, customers of Dedham-Westwood Water District will be restricted to nonessential outdoor watering to one day per week, during the time of day before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m., effective April 28th, says Dedham-Westwood Water District. An exception is that watering ornamentals and flower gardens is allowed by drip irrigation, hand-held hose, or watering cans.
Customers can find out what day they will be permitted water outdoors by referring to the first letter of the street name of the service address:
- Monday: Street names beginning with A through C
- Tuesday: Street names beginning with D through J
- Thursday: Street names beginning with K through R
- Friday: Street names beginning with S through Z
In contrast, under last week’s declaration of Level 2 conditions which no longer apply, outdoor watering was generally prohibited on all days of the week, with few exceptions.
Dedham-Westwood Water District Executive Director Blake Lukis explained, “At Monday’s Drought Management Task Force Meeting, the District learned that the Southeast Region of the State is now experiencing mild drought conditions. With the increased precipitation we’ve experienced recently, combined with close to normal streamflow and groundwater levels, it is positive to see our region trending towards normal conditions,” he said.
For drought management purposes, Dedham and Westwood are located in the Southeast Region of the Commonwealth. Per the District’s Water Withdrawal Registration Statement, all drought declarations made by the EEA/Drought Management Task Force for the region must be adhered to.
Water customers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new restriction levels. If/when the EEA declares a drought status level change, the water district will formally announce specific requirements on its website, Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram.
