Lawn watering is draining Mass. rivers

BOSTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Lawn watering is draining Massachusetts rivers, threatening populations of freshwater fish, state officials say.

At least 160 brooks and rivers have low water levels in the summer, The Boston Globe reported Sunday. Around 100 towns, many of them wealthy suburbs where residents have large properties and large lawns, exceed the state's recommended water use of 65 gallons per day per person.

A report by the Department of Fish and Game provided details on the health of fish populations. From brook trout in the upper waters of the Ipswich River north of Boston to shiners in the Blackstone near Worcester, stocks have fallen and some species have vanished.

Al Renzi, water superintendent in Sudbury, where the average daily use per person is 76 gallons, said many residents, especially those with sprinklers programmed to go on at regular intervals, use too much water on their lawns.

"You can be out in a downpour and the sprinklers are on -- it's frustrating," he told the Globe.

Some suburbanites try to dodge local water restrictions with private wells. Since the wells draw from the same aquifers, they contribute to the problem, officials said.