Dry spell stirs worries of drought

Despite last winter's gargantuan snowfalls, Nantucket and southeastern New England could face drought conditions in the next month if more rain does not fall, according to officials with the National Weather Service.

A rare rainfall early this week on the Cape and Islands did little to stem local and state concerns as lawns are dying early, and lifeguards can't get a break across southeastern New England.

Before last week's rainfall, the last time it had rained on Nantucket was July 8.

''It's killing us," said Mary Woodruff, garden manager of Sconset Gardener Inc., on Nantucket, where the region's first water restrictions in at least 10 years were put in place last week. ''It's affecting us pretty heavily; it's difficult for us to keep up with the general watering we have to do."

The region is headed for what's known as a meteorological drought where there is a prolonged period with below average precipitation. A hydrological drought occurs when water reserves fall below a statistical average.

There is no water shortage on Nantucket, officials said, nor is there likely to be one, with trillions of gallons of water in the island's underground aquifer.

The outdoor water ban was put in place over concerns that water usage would overtax the pumping system and weaken pressure in the water system needs to fight fires, officials said.

In June and July, Nantucket received 40 percent of its normal rainfall; Barnstable County received 50 percent; and Dukes County got 55 percent, according to Nicole Belk, service hydrologist with the National Weather Service's Taunton office.

''Because of the heavy winter snow that they had, they've actually been near normal precipitation except for the past two months," Belk said. ''But if this pattern continues where they don't get rain, it would eventually lead to a drought."

The general manager of Wannacomet Water Co., Bob Gardner, whose lawn has succumbed to dandelions, now spends his nights ''with a coffee IV" driving around looking for errant sprinklers after the water company issued its first restrictions on outside watering in a decade.

Last August, the water company was pumping 2.8 million gallons of water a day. But with the large tourist population this summer and the lack of rainstorms, Gardner said he is now pumping an average of 3.55 million gallons daily. Lack of rainfall means constant beach days, which Gardner said means people showering twice daily. ''And it's a cumulative effect," he said.

The Massachusetts' Drought Management Task Force has yet to convene but is monitoring a number of drought factors, including groundwater levels, fire danger, reservoir levels, and crop moisture. ''The state is watching conditions very carefully," said Kathleen Baskin, special assistant for water policy with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

On the Cape, Deputy Fire Chief John Donlan of Dennis said the wet spring and morning fog has helped compensate for the lack of rain. He hasn't seen an increase in fires, but he said if it doesn't begin to rain soon, a dry fall could create a problem.

Dave Berman has been praying for rain -- to get a day off. A lifeguard for the last 38 years with the Cape Cod National Seashore, Berman said it hasn't rained on his beach since early July.

The result, he said, are thousands of people crowding the beaches.

''This is the kind of weather that really brings them to the beaches," Berman said.

David Abel, Globe staff, and April Simpson, Globe correspondent, contributed to this article.