A relentless drought has workers on the Waltham Fields Community Farm moving irrigation systems around the fields every day this month to keep crops hydrated.
"It's definitely really, really dry out there - even just walking around the farm the grass is crunchy," said farm Executive Director Meg Coward. "We're growing food but it's definitely been more of a challenge (this summer)."
The farm's six acres off Beaver Street are parched after an exceptionally dry August.
"We are in what they classify as a dry spell," said Charlie Foley, a National Weather Service meteorologist. "There is a considerable rainfall deficit."
The Boston area received just over 3 inches of rainfall this month, which is about 2<+>1<+>/<->2<-> inches below normal for this time of year, Foley said.
Waltham Fire Chief Richard Cardillo said the lack of rain can be an ominous for firefighters.
"We do have concern for the wooded areas, if a small fire started out there it could spread very easily," Cardillo said.
The effects of the drought are especially apparent looking at the brittle, brown grass covering Waltham Common and its trees that are already starting to change their colors.
"The water is a serious issue right now and the drought is very evident in the Waltham Common," said Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy. "The tops of a couple of the maples right near the Sovereign Bank building are starting to turn red."
McCarthy said she is looking into digging a well at the common, which she says would be less costly to the city than installing a large sprinkler system.
"I'm trying to get a natural source of water," McCarthy said.
Since Waltham gets its water from a state agency, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the city is not facing the same water restrictions that other towns with their own water supplies have been implementing.
"All you can do for a drought is have irrigation systems, which we've put into many of the playgrounds over the years," said Stewart LaCrosse, assistant director of the Consolidated Public Works Department. "I think this has been a dry summer, though it's not anything that we haven't seen in the past."
LaCrosse said somebody goes down to the common Monday through Friday to water plants by hand. LaCrosse said there is already a small irrigation system around the Circle of Remembrance, a veterans memorial on the common.
"I hope to be able to see some (more) irrigation out there maybe next year," said LaCrosse. He said drilling a well is a possibility but there is no guarantee it would provide enough water.
LaCrosse said the city works hard to maintain the common grounds and before the dry spell hit, he says, the grass looked greener than he had seen in some time.
"This spring it happened to look better than I've seen it in many, many years," LaCrosse said.
With the weekly Concerts on the Common series, summer festivals, and just the general rise in people walking outside during the summer, the grounds are heavily used and it takes more to maintain them, he said.
"We have so much activity on the common and we don't want to deter that either, we want people to use it and be able to enjoy it," LaCrosse said.
Nicole Haley can be reached at nhaley@cnc.com or 781-398-8004.
