For 40 years, Hampden resident Carol Keeney has relied solely on well water for her vegetation growth. Keeney, 68, has been a Hampden, MA resident for 40 years and has been impacted by the recent and ongoing drought in Massachusetts. According to the United States Drought Monitors, more than a third of Massachusetts is experiencing severe drought conditions to include shrinking streams and rivers, wells going dry, water restrictions, and more. Keeney and her family are hoping for relief and will hopefully see it once winter arrives.
Herb Gardens and Produce Gardens Covered in Snow (photos courtesy of Danielle Viens)
On October 27, 2016, the first accumulating snow fell in Hampden, Massachusetts giving a glimmer of hope that the possibility of an early winter would help sustain the drought. Since that first snowfall, Hampden has only seen a rough estimate of 16 inches of snow over 5 months. “It is highly disappointing because winter is almost over and there has not been a significant amount of snow that will help fix this,” says Keeney. She had remained hopeful that she would be able to start fresh with a new season with the drought behind her and she has lost the hope.
As Keeney puts it, “the winter is not over and we are still going to remain optimistic that are creeks will fill again, my garden will thrive once more and our land will look great again.” The lack of snowfall this season has been rough on this family and though the drought monitors still have this area in the red, the Keeney family remains hopeful that more accumulated snow will come and put a major dent in this horrific drought.
*There will be more on this story as it develops
Western Mass Insider 