Water Resources Committee

Drought Conditions

Up-to-date information on drought condition in the region is available at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

Membership

The committee is appointed by the Selectboard and is made up of 7 members representing the Board of Health, Planning Board, Conservation Commission or Open Space Committee, the Lake Wyola Advisory Committee, and 3 members from the community.

Committee Charge

The committee was established by the Selectboard in 2009 and given the following charge:

  • The first charge of the Water Resources Committee (WRC) is to assess the Town's water resources, both with respect to quality and quantity.
  • The second charge of the WRC is to research appropriate solutions to any risks to the Town's water resources, which may include policy, regulatory or structural approaches.
  • The third charge of the WRC is to propose policy or regulatory changes or preparation of a capital improvement plan, including cost estimates.

Vision

The vision of the WRC is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the status and condition of Shutesbury's water resources and what actions are needed to protect them.

Recent Activity

  • Developed a detailed map of Shutesbury's water resources
  • Developed a conceptual model of Shutesbury's hydrologic cycle
  • Collected and analyzed soils, precipitation and existing water quality data
  • Participated in the evaluation of the Town's "O32" lot
  • Identified possible issues of concern:
    • road salt impacts on wells and aquatic ecology
    • nitrate loading (from septic systems)
    • adequacy of groundwater resources (impacts on future growth in town)
    • gravel road maintenance (and impacts on surface waters)
    • condition of Lake Wyola
  • Cooperated with Mount Holyoke College studies
  • Secured funding for, and established a series of groundwater monitoring wells in Shutesbury

Email the Water Resources Committee

Inquiries about WRC activities can be addressed to: WRC@shutesbury.org.  Please note however that the committee is comprised exclusively of volunteers, so emails are not checked on a regular basis.  We appreciate your patience.

Meetings

The WRC generally meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month.