Groundwater Levels Drop

There is no Spring flood this year.

With a two-month shortfall in rainfall, groundwater levels are already low, and people who rely on shallow water wells might face problems, according to a water expert.

Typically this time of year, the flow of water in the Connecticut is four and a half times what it is now, according to Jon Morrison, hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

"Right now," said Morrison, "from our gauges, we see about 10,000 cubic feet per second in the Connecticut River, and that's one of the lowest flows in April we've seen."

Morrison said groundwater provides most of the water to the area's streams and rivers. He said levels will drop even more once trees start tapping the groundwater.

"Once the leaves come out on the trees, the soil demand for water really picks up and we see the ground water levels drop fairly steadily through May into June and July," he said.

Just one look at the Connecticut River from the boat launch in East Hartford was all Rene Guimond needed to know the weather's been unusually dry this spring.

"Very low," he said. "I've never seen it that bad for a long, long time."

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