Connecticut Water Urges Voluntary Shoreline Water Conservation

CLINTON, CT —Continuing dry weather and increased customer water usage have prompted Connecticut Water to issue a drought advisory for its water system that serves customers along the Connecticut shoreline.

The affected towns are Clinton, Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

A drought advisory is the first of four stages of our drought response plan aimed at extending available water supplies to meet essential customer needs. Customers are asked to voluntarily reduce water usage by 10 percent in Clinton, Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

The lack of precipitation combined with increased household water usage is having an impact on water supplies. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 85% of Connecticut is in the abnormally dry to extreme drought category. The summer of 2020 ranks as the 11th-driest and the warmest summer since 1895, according to the Northeast Climate Center. Precipitation is nearly 5 inches below the normal rainfall of 8 inches for the summer season.

“We are seeing the combined impacts of low precipitation and increased water usage. Between June and August, water usage was about 20% higher than it was in the summer of 2019. Some of the increased usage may be driven by more pool use and increased lawn watering because of dry weather as well as more people in the home and more staycations because of COVID-19,” said Craig J. Patla, vice president of service delivery at Connecticut Water.

“We currently have an adequate supply of water for our customers’ needs,” Patla said, “but we want to ensure we will continue to have enough water. That’s why we are asking customers in the shoreline communities to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 10%, which will help prolong available water supplies to ensure we have water for public health, hygiene and fire protection.”

The measures customers can take to reduce water usage include:

· Stop watering lawns.

· Shut off automatic irrigation systems.

· Sweep patios, driveways and sidewalks rather than using a hose on paved surfaces.

· Turn off the water when brushing teeth or shaving.

· Take showers instead of baths.

· Fix leaks: A faucet that drips can waste up to 3,280 gallons of water per year.

· Check for silent toilet leaks, which can waste large quantities of water.

· Collect the water run while waiting for a shower to get warm and use it for plants or toilet flushing.

Connecticut Water continues to closely monitor its water supplies and will expand its water conservation request if it becomes necessary. Additional suggestions on how to save water are available at www.CTWater.com/conservation. Customers without internet access can call 800-286-5700.