Press Release: 2/6/2026

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $500,000 to Protect Water Resources Amid Ongoing Drought

 

12 Applicants Awarded Funds to Improve Water Management and Strengthen Resilience Across Massachusetts 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

2/05/2026

MEDIA CONTACT

Aisha Revolus, Communications Manager

 Online

Email Aisha Revolus, Communications Manager at aisha.revolus@mass.gov

BOSTON — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $500,000 in grants from the Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency (DRWE) Grant Program. This funding, provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will support communities in reducing indoor and outdoor water use, controlling water losses within water supply systems, and improving drought management planning. 

“These grants come at a critical time. With much of Massachusetts experiencing ongoing drought conditions in recent years, we recognize the need to take practical steps to use water more efficiently and manage supplies responsibly,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These investments will help reduce the impacts of drought while supporting lasting improvements in water management and conservation.”

In recent years, Massachusetts has experienced more frequent droughts across the state. Eight out of the last ten years have included several months in drought, with some periods reaching Level 3 – Critical Drought for months at a time. Streamflow and groundwater levels have dropped to record lows, increasing fire risk and causing problems for farmers and water supplies.  

This grant program will support a range of projects, including water meter installations, leak detection systems, water conservation planning, landscape conversions, and enhanced drought management measures. Each of these initiatives will contribute to reducing water loss, improving drought resilience, and promoting more efficient water use across Massachusetts.

"This grant will help ensure that Abington and Rockland Joint Water Works can better detect leaks in their system, benefiting all residents, especially during periods of water scarcity," said State Senator John F. Keenan (D-Norfolk and Plymouth). "I am grateful when programs in the state budget help towns in the district I represent.”

The Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency Grant Program is part of Massachusetts’ broader efforts to adapt to changing climate conditions and ensure the long-term sustainability of its water systems. The following organizations received grants: 

Grantee	Award	Project
Abington & Rockland Joint Water Works	$50,000	This project involves acquiring and deploying 200 hydrant leak detection sensors to significantly improve water loss control within the Abington & Rockland Joint Water Works Distribution System. The aim of implementing this state-of-the-art leak detection technology is to reduce unaccounted for water by locating non-surfacing leaks earlier and reducing leak repair times by pinpointing leak locations more accurately to improve drought resilience strategy. This aligns with the program's objectives by directly addressing water loss and conservation.
City of Westfield DPW-Water Division	$50,000	The City of Westfield has experienced significant discrepancies between raw and finished water totals ranging from 17–26% in recent years, indicating possible issues with meter calibration, SCADA data integrity, meter installation issues, etc. resulting in high percentages of unaccounted for water. There is seemingly more water coming out of two of the Water Treatment Plants than is being pumped from the sources. The City will establish a Water Efficiency Management Solution for water accounting and leveraging GIS geospatial data for a visualization platform designed to improve water loss control, enhance distribution system resiliency, and strengthen the municipality reporting structure with data-driven water management.
City of Worcester Department of Water and Power	$50,000	The City of Worcester will refine its new advanced water resources software of its water system. In addition, up-to-date bathymetric and topographic surveys of each of the City’s reservoirs will be conducted. The surveys will ensure that the model accurately represents the available storage capacity so that the model can assist with daily operations and support drought planning and management.
Sterling Water Department	$49,940	The Town of Sterling Water Department (SWD) has experienced high and fluctuating levels of Unaccounted-for Water (UAW), ranging from 10-29% over the past four years. SWD also lacks a formal Drought Management Plan (DMP) and Water Use Restriction Bylaw, limiting its ability to manage demand during dry conditions. With support from the DRWE Grant Program, SWD will develop a DMP and companion draft bylaw to strengthen drought preparedness and reduce nonessential water use. This project will also include a Billing and Data Audit to identify and correct apparent losses, such as duplicate or unmetered accounts, helping reduce UAW and improve long-term water-use efficiency.
City of Fall River	$49,896	The City of Fall River’s Department of Community Utilities will purchase leak detection equipment, including 189 leak detector and correlator systems and a correlating five-year subscription service. The project will allow quick and accurate detection of water leaks within the water distribution system, which can otherwise go undetected for months or longer depending on the outlet into which the water begins to leak. Quicker detection of leaks will enable the City to promptly address leaks as they occur, which will support water loss control and drought resiliency in Fall River and several other Southcoast Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities that are supplied water by the City. This is a continuation of a program initiated under the FY25 DRWE Grant.
Springfield Water & Sewer Commission	$47,694	The project will reduce water loss and improve operational efficiency by installing 9 pressure monitoring devices across the distribution system of Springfield and Ludlow. These devices are intended to help identify leaks and main breaks, by continuously monitoring system pressures and alerting to pressure changes due to water loss or surging. Reduction in water loss would, in turn, come from more rapid isolation of mains during failure, addressing leaks that would not have otherwise been known to operators, and identifying system trends which aid capital planning and prioritization, allowing at-risk areas to be more accurately addressed before issues ever arise. This is a continuation of a program initiated under the FY25 DRWE Grant.
City of Boston	$44,300	The City of Boston’s Office of Green Infrastructure (OGI) promotes the use of green infrastructure practices to support the City’s stormwater management/drought resiliency efforts. OGI’s previous rain barrel giveaways have served as a successful and replicable model for community education on ways residents can also support drought resiliency efforts by cutting down on household outdoor water usage. Building on the past giveaways, OGI will distribute an additional 300 rain barrels, double the amount distributed in previous giveaways, to increase the use of green infrastructure across the City, as well as engage with the public on the importance of drought management.
Charles River Watershed Association	$39,000	This project will advance regional drought resiliency by delivering a standardized, ready-to-use toolkit that helps Charles River watershed communities design water-efficient landscapes and strengthen local drought planning. It will produce a Drought-Resilient Landscape Design Guide (plant lists, design templates, and best management practices) through municipal workshops. These resources (including a tour of a local drought-resilient landscape project) reduce the burden on individual towns to create their own resources, streamline adoption of drought-resilient practices, and empower communities to proactively manage increasing drought risks. The project will help lower outdoor water demand, improve drought preparedness, and promote consistent, climate-resilient landscaping across the Charles River watershed region, while still being fully transferable to communities across Massachusetts to adopt and benefit from.
Town of Egremont	$33,225.50	This project will complete a high-priority task from the Egremont Water Capital Improvement Plan: to purchase and install a new Master Meter and appurtenant bypass piping, valves etc. to accurately monitor processed water. The task will provide real-time data to inform the new Asset Management Planning effort underway for FY26 and provide the basis for further development of a formal Water Loss Control Plan.
Country Road Cooperative Corporation	$30,544.50	Country Road Cooperative Corporation is a resident-owned, manufactured housing community located in the Town of Hinsdale that provides affordable retirement housing for residents aged 55 and older. The community is struggling with increasing water bills, in part due to aging water infrastructure and difficulty pinpointing leaks in their system. Country Road will purchase and install water meters throughout the community, which will help identify hidden leaks and improve the accuracy and availability of consumption data. This project will allow the Co-op to reduce system water losses, stabilize resident water costs, and help conserve Hinsdale’s limited drinking water supply. Data collected from the new meters will also support Country Road’s long-term asset management planning.
Town of Ipswich	$29,000	The Ipswich Water Department, in collaboration with regional stakeholders, will contract an expert to help design landscape templates that prioritize water efficiency. Templates will act as a resource for residents in the region to reimagine their lawns and outdoor space, emphasizing rainwater harvesting, native and drought tolerant plants, and alternative groundcovers. A variety of landscape templates will be available (e.g., potentially represent large yards, small outdoor spaces, coastal locations, and inland areas). Each template will be accompanied by a landscape design, water use estimation, cost estimate, and resources for sustainable irrigation such as rainwater harvesting.
Norwell Water Department	$26,400	The project proposes to install and operate an integrated acoustic and sensor-based leak detection system across the Town of Norwell’s water distribution network to reduce non-revenue water loss, extend pipe lifespan, lower energy and treatment costs, and improve public health and service reliability. Initial installation and active monitoring will allow the Town to locate and repair hidden leaks quickly, build a leak dataset for targeted capital planning, and demonstrate measurable water and cost savings suitable for replication by other small municipalities.

For additional resources related to drought and water conservation, visit Drought Tips, Tools, and Resources and the MA Water Conservation Toolkit.