In response to continued drought conditions, some Connecticut communities are being asked to conserve water.
Connecticut Water issued a conservation request to five shoreline towns, asking people to reduce their water usage by 15%. Clinton, Guilford, Old Saybrook, Madison and Westbrook are included in the request.
“We can’t arrive at a spot one month or two months from now wishing we had done more," said Craig Patla, vice president of service delivery for Connecticut Water.
According to Patla, water supply is declining at the same time that water usage is rapidly increasing.
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“It’s a destination spot for a lot of folks, not just in Connecticut but in New England, to spend their time vacationing and we’re seeing it," Patla said. "We are seeing the demands really peak.”
The shoreline is not the only area impacted. Norwich Public Utilities is also asking customers to limit water usage.
“While this is not an urgent request, we are asking our customers to help us manage through the current conditions and cut back their water use whenever they can over the next four to five weeks,” Chris LaRose, general manager of NPU wrote in a social media post.
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“If we can get a large number of customers [to] make a few small adjustments in their daily routines, we can minimize the impact of the drought on our water supply," he continued.
Experts recommend:
- Turning off sprinklers
- Limiting water used for flowers and lawns
- Waiting to run the dishwasher until the load is full
- Taking shorter showers and reducing the amount of time in the shower
- Only running water when you have to
- Turning the water off while brushing your teeth