Norwich Public Utilities Issues Water Supply Warning

NORWICH, CT — Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) has issued a water supply warning and put water conservation measures in place for both commercial and residential customers until conditions improve, according to a statement from the company. The utility company is asking customers to reduce water usage by 10%.

“With the ongoing drought in the region and no significant rain in the immediate weather forecast, we are approaching a serious water supply situation. Therefore, we must strongly encourage our customers to be more aware of how they are using water,” Chris LaRose, general manager of NPU, said in a statement. “It would be very helpful to have all our customers reduce their water usage by 10% in the coming weeks.”

The utility's two reservoirs are at 72.43% of their capacity and with no rain expected this week, these levels will more than likely be below 70% by the end of this week. The utility has about 228 days of water supply in its reservoirs.

NPU said in a statement that it's taken "a number of operational steps to conserve its water supply." The utility company has contacted major water users to determine the potential for emergency water conservation and request that they reduce consumption. They have also brought on emergency supply options online, including the Norwichtown Well, which can provide an extra 1 million gallons of water per day.

NPU encourages residential customers to reduce daily water by doing the following:

• Taking shorter showers
• Only running dishwashers and washing machines with full loads
• Limiting nonessential water use, such as watering lawns and washing cars
• Holding off on refilling swimming pools