Effective September 8, 2016 the city of Worcester in Massacusetts issued a Stage 3 Drought Emergency .

Worcester's Reservoirs were at 55 percent capacity on September 1st, which is 27 percent lower than its average capacity of 82 percent at this time of the year. Because of the water shortage, the city has banned all outdoor water use, and new landscaping has been discouraged while the city struggles to plan for a possible Stage 4 Drought Emergency.

Larger institutions and businesses are being asked to reduce water use where possible, keep up with fixing leaks and breaks in water pipes, and stop all non-essential watering. Residents of the area are also asked to stop all outdoor water use and attempt to reduce indoor water use. Education programs are being put in place in schools and communities to attempt to educate community members about how costly this drought is to the region, and how important it is for everyone to get involved in reducing water use while we wait for rain.

Worcester is a large city with several large colleges and universities, as well as lots of public land. The colleges in particular use a lot of water. With thousands of students living on campus, showers and sinks are constantly being used and facilities are expected to keep the grounds aesthetically pleasing for visitors and the like.

At the College of the Holy Cross, facilities management has taken steps to assure the campus is using their water wisely. Non-athletic irrigation systems have been turned off. Water fountains are not operational while the drought is occurring. The college is using well water to irrigate Fitton Field and the Baseball Field, as well as fields behind the Hart Center as needed, while trying to use minimal amounts of water, the school has to maintain the fields so that sports teams can still use them safely. Water from the wells is being kept in a large tank for the school to water flower beds when possible. Staff is on call to fix any reported water leaks on campus as soon as they can so as to not waste water.

Meanwhile, Autumn is upon us and trees are losing their leaves without all the color because they are living with minimal amounts of water. Restaurants are using bottled water to serve guests instead of tap water. Worcester is feeling this drought, and with no heavy rain in the forecast, the chances of issuing a Stage 4 Emergency are greater than ever.

Students and community members in Worcester can do their part and save a lot of water by just making simple changes to the amount of water they use. If 1,200 students cut five minutes off their showers every day, that would save nearly 10,000 gallons a day. That's 70,000 gallons a week, which could make a huge impact on Worcester's reservoirs.

So, I urge the students at Holy Cross, other universities in the Worcester area, and students in areas affected by droughts to think about your water use-I don't mean that any of us has to make a drastic change, but if we all cut our showers shorter by 5 minutes, we can each save gallons of water a day,