The Water Management Act (WMA) regulates water withdrawals exceeding 100,000 gallons per day or 9,000,000 gallons over three months in Massachusetts. The dataset, sourced from NASA EarthData and provided by SCIOPS, likely contains regulatory text, application forms, and legal frameworks from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Its purpose is to protect water resources by limiting withdrawals to a safe yield, as determined by environmental impact assessments.
Use Cases
- Analyze regulatory thresholds and safe yield calculations based on the defined withdrawal limits and basin management units.
- Model permit application and review processes based on the described filing, public comment, and conservation plan requirements.
- Study historical water use rights based on the registration period for large users from 1981 to 1985.
Strengths
- Specific regulatory thresholds are provided, such as the 100,000 gallons per day withdrawal limit.
- Clear procedural details are included, like the $3,340 application fee and 10-day ENF filing requirement.
- Defined jurisdictional scope covering all ground and surface waters in Massachusetts.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
Provenance
- Source
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Water Management Program
- Collection Method
- Likely compiled from legal statutes (M.G.L. c. 21G), regulations (310 CMR 36.00), and associated permit documentation.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts