Drought Status Intensifies For Middlesex County

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, CT — Residents of Middlesex County are being asked to monitor their water usage because of dry conditions.

Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday announced that he is declaring a Stage 2 drought advisory for Middlesex County, and due to "below normal" precipitation levels in the region. New Haven and Fairfield counties are also at State 2.

Prior to Tuesday's announcement, all counties in Connecticut were at Stage 1.

A Stage 2 drought advisory is an awareness stage, identifying "an emerging drought event" that could "potentially impact water supplies, agriculture, and natural ecosystems," Lamont said. It is the second of five levels under the Connecticut Drought Preparedness and Response Plan, with Stage 1 being the lowest and Stage 5 the most extreme.

"The lack of rain over these last several months has impacted all of Connecticut, and in particular the regions around Fairfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties," Lamont said. "The purpose of increasing these counties to Stage 2 is to raise awareness that as this lack of rain continues, there is a possibility that this emerging drought event could intensify."

The decision to declare a Stage 2 drought advisory comes to the governor at the recommendation of the Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup, a state entity consisting of representatives from several state agencies who meet as necessary to assess drought conditions and make recommendations to the governor on the state’s response. The group met on Oct. 2 and made a recommendation to increase these counties to Stage 2 based on an assessment of indicator data, including precipitation, surface waters, groundwater, reservoirs, soil moisture, vegetation, and fire danger conditions.

"We have experienced drier than normal conditions this summer and continuing into the fall,” Office of Policy and Management Undersecretary Martin Heft, chairman of the Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup, said. “Across New England, we have been witnessing drought conditions. We must begin early steps now to mitigate the potential for harm should the drought be prolonged.”
During this Stage 2 drought advisory, some action items that individuals and businesses in Connecticut are encouraged to voluntarily take to aid in minimizing future drought impact include:

• Shutting down automatic outdoor irrigation;
• Minimizing overall water use by fixing leaky plumbing and fixtures; and
• Following any conservation requests issued by local water suppliers and municipalities.

Rainfall and droughts do not follow political boundaries, and impacts can be more severe at certain locations, Lamont said. Those who depend on private wells, fire or irrigation ponds, and other highly localized water resources should be especially mindful of local conditions, especially in places where previous droughts have affected supplies.

The most recent time any drought advisories were issued in Connecticut was on Nov. 9, 2024, when all eight of the state’s counties reached Stage 2.

The five levels of drought advisories under the state’s drought plan are:

• Stage 1: Below normal conditions
• Stage 2: Incipient drought
• Stage 3: Moderate drought
• Stage 4: Severe drought
• Stage 5: Extreme drought

The Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup consists of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Public Health, the Office of Policy and Management, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, with assistance from the National Weather Service and the United States Geological Survey.

More information on the workgroup and the state’s drought plan can be found online at portal.ct.gov/Water/Drought/Drought-Home.