Massachusetts is still in the process of recovering from a drought. The next few weeks are a critical time for recharging ground water supplies.
Most of Massachusetts, except for Berkshire County, is under a drought advisory -- a step above normal conditions, with some limits on watering and irrigation.
And yet the state is in much better shape than last fall when most of Western Massachusetts was in a severe or even extreme drought.
Hydrologist Gardner Bent with the U.S. Geological Survey said this is a critical season for turning things around.
"Over the next month or two is a really tell-tale period," Bent said. "Because that's when we want as much rainfall to recharge the aquifers before the trees and the plants start sucking up water."
As trees and plants leaf out they need water to grow, water that is also needed for stream flow and water supplies.
Bent said if things get dry again, the region could return to the drought conditions of last fall.
