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Before the storm….
After the storm…
More on the Charles River spillway removal at the South Natick Dam
Natick’s drought status improves
The drought status for the state’s northeast region, of which Natick is part, has improved according to the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The drought status level has fallen from 3 (critical) to 2 (significant).
Whereas Level 3 bans all nonessential outdoor water uses, Level 2 allows watering of ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, hand-held hose or watering cans. More details on what’s essential vs. nonessential.
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Natick Nights postponed to July 23rd
An update from the Natick Center Cultural District:
After closely monitoring today’s air quality forecasts and conditions, we’ve made the difficult decision to move tonight’s Natick Nights! to our rain date, Thursday, July 23rd.
While the forecast remains somewhat unpredictable, our biggest concern is the potential for wildfire smoke to affect the health and comfort of our vendors, performers, volunteers, and the many families with young children who attend the event. With several vendors already choosing not to participate because of the air quality, we felt it was best to err on the side of caution.
We know this is disappointing, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. These decisions are never easy, but we believe this is the right one for our community.
We look forward to seeing you on July 23, 2026, and will be in touch with any additional details if needed.
Recreation & Parks is also moving their movie night: Jurassic Park, to July 23, 2026, after Natick Nights!
Despite all that rain, Natick’s drought status worsens; nonessential outdoor water use banned
The state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) has declared a Level 3 Critical Drought for the Northeast region, which includes Natick. That means no nonessential outdoor water use, such as automatic lawn sprinklers and oscillating sprinklers, washing driveways and sidewalks, washing cars at home, and filling or topping off swimming pools. You can hand water vegetable gardens.
Natick’s wells are licensed by the state, so the town needs to go along with what the EEA says on drought status even though it might seem from recent rainstorms that Natick is not parched. Natick is part of a large region, as shown in orange on the map below, that contains most of Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties.
On May 8, the Northeast region’s drought level status rose from 1 to 2, and Natick issued notice that it was “required to implement a ban on all nonessential outdoor water uses, except that watering of ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, hand-held hoses or watering cans may be permitted.” At that point, the next update from the state was anticipated for June, but you know things are bad when the EEA jammed in another notice this month, on May 22.
Drought conditions worsen in Natick’s region
The state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has declared a worsened drought status for the northeast region of the state, which includes Natick. The drought status has been raised from Level 1 (mild drought) to Level 2 (significant drought).
The state’s recommendation for communities in the northeast region is:
- Minimize overall water use
- Follow local water use restrictions;
- For any upcoming outdoor water use, limit watering to hand-held hoses or watering cans, to be used only after 5 p.m. or before 9 a.m
- Fix indoor leaks, such as from toilets, faucets, and showers, which result in more than 60 percent of indoor use; and,
- For larger buildings and businesses, conduct water audits to identify areas of leaks and potential water conservation opportunities.
Update: Here’s the message from Natick:
Natick is required to implement a ban on all nonessential outdoor water uses, except that watering of ornamentals and flower gardens with drip irrigation, hand-held hoses or watering cans may be permitted.
The next update on the region’s drought status from the state should come in early June.
Next door in Wellesley, which is in the state’s southeast region, conditions worsened from normal to mild drought.
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