Connecticut Water Urges Voluntary Water Conservation For Stafford

Press release from Connecticut Water Company:

Sept. 26, 2020

Dry weather conditions and historic demand for water have prompted Connecticut Water Company to ask its customers in Stafford to take voluntary measures to reduce their water usage by 10%.

“We currently have an adequate supply of water for our customers’ needs, but we are asking our customers to reduce their water usage while we closely monitor our water supplies where reservoirs are lower than normal,” said David A. Connors, Director of Service Delivery.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of September 22, 2020, the town of Stafford is experiencing Extreme Drought.

Given the extended dry conditions and the forecast for continued dry weather, Connecticut Water is asking its customers in the area to reduce their water usage by taking the following measures:

- Reduce or eliminate lawn irrigation. Water your yard on a maximum frequency of twice per week, and do so in the early morning or evening hours to reduce water loss due to evaporation.

- Check your toilets for leaks. The average leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day.

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

- Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full.

- Eliminate car washing. If your car needs a wash, opt for a carwash where water is recycled.

For more water conservation ideas, visit ctwater.com/conservation

The summer of 2020 ranks as the 11th driest summer and the warmest since 1895 according to the Northeast Climate Center. Precipitation is nearly five inches below normal rainfall of 8 inches for the summer season. The lack of precipitation combined with increased household water usage is having an impact on water supplies, especially in the Stafford area.

Connors stated, “We are seeing the combined impacts of low precipitation and increased water usage. Between June and August, water usage is about 20 percent higher than it was in 2019. Some of the increased usage may be driven by more pools and increased lawn watering because of dry weather and more people at home due to COVID-19.”.

Connecticut Water will continue to monitor water demands and will modify its request for water conservation measures accordingly.

Additional information on how the drought is impacting Connecticut is available from interagency drought workgroup at https://portal.ct.gov/Water/Drought/Drought-Home.

About Connecticut Water: Connecticut Water, including Avon Water and Heritage Village Water companies provides water service to about 105,000 customers in 60 Connecticut towns and wastewater services to 3,000 customers in the town of Southbury, Connecticut.

The towns served are Ashford, Avon, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bolton, Brooklyn, Burlington, Canton, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Deep River, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Essex, Farmington, Griswold, Guilford, Haddam, Hebron, Killingly, Killingworth, Lebanon, Madison, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Plainfield, Plymouth, Portland, Prospect, Simsbury, Somers, Southbury, South Windsor, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterbury, Westbrook, Willington, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.

This press release was produced by Connecticut Water Company. The views expressed here are the author's own.