‘We need everybody to do their part’
Drought conditions worsen in Conn.
With one of the hottest summers recorded in the state, the dry conditions have led to droughts and reports of wildland fires in Connecticut.
In North Windham, a fire consumed over 90 acres before it was fully contained. The smoky conditions even forced North Windham Elementary School to temporarily move to virtual learning on Sept. 17.
“It can take several weeks or even months for forest fires to fully extinguish, and given the very dry conditions we’re experiencing, that could be the case with this particular fire,”
Will Healey, a spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said last week.
As of last week, the fire was contained with no threat to the public but still burning in Natchaug State Forest in the eastern part of the state.
Over half of the state’s population is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System, with sections of extreme drought in the easternmost portion of Connecticut. And these conditions in eastern Connecticut have led to firefighters throughout the
region responding to wildland fires.
“The drought has significantly dried out the ground this summer, resulting in increased wildfire risk,” Healey said. “Brush fires started now may not spread fast, but are burning deep into the ground making them virtually impossible to fully extinguish.”
According to Connecticut’s Interagency Drought Workgroup, New London County is the latest area of the state to experience Stage 2 drought conditions — which can impact water supplies, agriculture and natural ecosystems. Stage 2 droughts were previously announced for Litchfield, Hartford, Tolland and Windham counties on Aug. 26.
“Under normal circumstances we do see reduction in precipitation through the months of July, August and September,” said Craig Patla, vice president of Connecticut Water. “So there’s a normal fluctuation that’s very seasonal in the Northeast that we do experience. But this year — like in 2016 — that the state has been in a drought is certainly indicative that the precipitation number is less than normal.”
In Fairfield, New Haven, and Middlesex counties, the water supply is below normal conditions, according to the workgroup. In municipalities across the state, residents have been advised to cut back on water use. And rainfall across most of the state is below average in recent weeks and across the whole year.
Patla, whose company services all counties except Fairfield County, said water supplies are already feeling the effects of the severe drought in large portion of the state. Connecticut Water has asked their customers along the shoreline to voluntarily reduce water usage by 10 percent to combat this, he said.
But the problem comes as a two part equation, Patla said. A lack of precipitation has led to increased water use by residents for activities such as watering their plants, he said.
“The other part of this is we’ve seen an increased usage per capita because people are generally home more because of the pandemic,” he said. “We’re seeing an effect of that over normal demand patterns as well.”
Patla said it will take a unified effort to assist in maintaining water supplies across Connecticut. This includes reducing irrigation loads and taking steps to not waste the water resources.
“We need everybody to do their part,” he said. “If you are drowning your lawn, please don’t. If your neighbor is, please ask him not to.”
But careless water usage will only aid in worsening drought conditions, he said.
“If we do have that inequity of use out there where people just continue their high usage and disregard the plea now, then we will undoubtedly drift into stage 2, 3 and 4 as we go,” Patla said.