It may seem paradoxical to New Englanders who spent June carrying umbrellas to work every day to hear that Dighton has a desalination plant that converts saltwater into fresh, and that there are more such plants on the way in the area. “We’re hardly Saudi Arabia,” says Bob Zimmerman, executive director of the nonprofit environmental group the Charles River Watershed Association. “To find ourselves in a situation where cities feel compelled to turn sea water into potable drinking water in a state that gets 4 feet of rain a year is absurd.”

The problem, Zimmerman maintains, is that because of sprawl — which paves over natural areas that could be replenishing ground-water supplies — and overuse, even normally damp New England is threatened with water shortages. Already, three dozen communities in Eastern Massachusetts have mandatory or voluntary outdoor water-use restrictions.

Better engineering in cities and towns is a big part of the long-term answer, but conservation is key, especially in the short term, says Zimmerman. The message of conservation has been slow to reach the New England states, but these Massachusetts residents are a little ahead of the curve.

Brimming Barrels Scott Jenney admits his initial motive for conserving water wasn’t completely altruistic. “When we first moved into this house in 1986,” he says, “I had a garden and was using town water for it. I was getting some high water bills.”
Jenney, an electrical engineer and self-described tinkerer, had been living on his own since age 15; now 51, he says he “had to learn how to be frugal and resourceful.” His wife, Lida, a child-care provider, grew up in an environmentally sensitive family.

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Source: Boston.com (Boston Globe)