Drought Conditions Improve

Recent rainfall has eased drought conditions somewhat, so today Governor Ned Lamont announced that two counties previously rated at Stage 3 — New London and Windham — are now at Stage 2, along with every other county in the state, including Fairfield County.

“We are still seeing precipitation levels that remain slightly below normal,” said Governor Lamont. “As we enter fall, conditions are looking better than they were this summer, but we still urge everyone to be mindful of their water usage.”

There are five levels in the Connecticut Drought Preparedness and Response Plan:

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

Stage 2 is essentially an “awareness stage,” an indication of concern, with residents asked to voluntarily take “sensible steps to reduce impacts on water use.”

Drought levels will be evaluated again in November by the Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup, a state entity consisting of representatives of several agencies to assess drought conditions and make recommendations to the governor.

On Tuesday, Governor Lamont announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved his request for a natural disaster declaration for all eight Connecticut counties. The department had previously made such a declaration for New Haven and Tolland counties.

The declaration means agricultural producers in all counties are now eligible to be considered for assistance from the Farm Service Agency to offset production losses they experienced from the drought.

State Representative Anne Hughes said she recently went to Washington to directly appeal to Senator Chris Murphy for expanded federal relief. She said the drought had triggered an early end to farmers markets throughout Fairfield County and the state, at a cost to the livelihood of farmers.

“Easton, Redding and Weston are home to many farms that dealt with tough drought conditions this summer,” said Rep. Hughes. “No amount of after-the-fact rain can bring back lost or significantly impacted crops with reduced yields.”