Water levels high on western Massachusetts rivers

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Communities across western Massachusetts have experienced an early wet season and rain this week will add to an already high water table.

Western Massachusetts is on pace to well exceed the average rainfall total for April. This has led to a significant increase in the groundwater table across the state.

22News talked to David Boutt, a hydrologist with UMass, about what visible effects people can expect from this increase, “Higher water tables are going to lead to more water in streams, more water in wetlands. Essentially as we have more precipitation, we’re going to have more water moving through the system and perhaps changing the seasonal patterns.”

Discharge measures the flow rate of a stream or river and along the Connecticut River in Franklin County, this has been well above average for the past week. Low lying areas and places near rivers may not be able to handle rain as easily since the water table in many places is already so high for this time of year. This can be attributed to late snow melting along with higher rainfall totals. This change in climate may force us to rethink how we use the land.

“Some of the solutions are ones like being more cognizant of where we install certain types of infrastructure, you know whether or not you need a basement,” said Boutt.

As vegetation uses a lot of this water in the summer months, the water table will gradually lower to a more normal level. While the water table naturally lowers in the summer, this early increase in April could give us flooding issues in the fall.

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Jack Wu joined the 22News Storm Team in July 2023. Follow Jack on X @the_jackwu and view his bio to see more of his work.

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