CT's Gone Bone Dry: Here's What You Can Do About It

CONNECTICUT - Residents are going through a period of extraordinarily high water high usage, and there is a significant lack of rain in the forecast. The State Department of Public Health said Wednesday that things are about to get ugly, especially in southwest Fairfield County.

On Monday, the Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup announced a Stage 3 drought for Hartford, Tolland, Windham, and New London counties. A Stage 3 drought is an "emerging drought event potentially impacting water supplies, agriculture, or natural ecosystems."

Now, a couple of days later, DPH is calling out residents of lower Fairfield County – specifically those living in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, and Westport – to reduce their water usage by 20 percent due to drought conditions as well.

Fairfield county as well as the entire state of Connecticut was placed on a Stage 1 drought declaration in June. While Fairfield County remains in Stage 1 drought, water conservation measures are critical to reduce usage of the drinking water supplies that supply the southwest portion of the state.

"Connecticut has been in a drought for some time, and every resident – especially those in lower Fairfield County – can do their part to reduce demand on some of the public water systems and conserve this vital resource," said acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford. "We are experiencing a combination of dry weather, lower than normal precipitation this summer, and likely because of that higher than normal demand for water due to outdoor water use."

Taking simple actions to reduce demand on the public water supply in the region could help stabilize the reservoirs that feed into the regional water system, according to a news release from the DPH. Regional water supplier Aquarion is asking customers to reduce nonessential water usage by 20 percent in addition to its mandatory, twice-weekly irrigation schedule.

The DPH has put forth the following guidelines it says could help in preventing a third drought trigger being hit, and further watering restrictions from being enacted:

• Turn off the sprinkler system for the season. If you must water your lawn, only do it once weekly.
• Postpone the planting of any new lawns or vegetation. If you must plant, choose drought resistant varieties
• Refrain from unnecessary or wasteful uses of water, such as the rinsing of sidewalks, driveways, and patios
• Run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads.
• Don’t leave the faucet running unnecessarily when washing dishes, shaving, brushing teeth, and washing hands.
• Take shorter showers. Consider reducing your shower time by one minute each day until you are taking a five-minute shower.
• Avoid power washing buildings and washing vehicles.
• Fix leakages that you may find around the home or business.
• Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DPH is still strongly encouraging water usage for sanitary purposes such as handwashing to reduce the spread of the virus.