Last Year was Drought, This Year was Flooding

With several significant precipitation events between July and October, flows in the Pomperaug River have remained well above average (based on an 87-year record), and even reached flood stage on September 2. Last year, by contrast, the watershed experienced the effects of moderate drought intensity which included seeing stretches of dry stream bed in some of the tributaries and hearing about low crop yields among area farms. As flows dipped below the thresholds identified in the Connecticut Water Company / Heritage Village System Low Flow Operations Plan, PRWC issued repeated outreach messages to voluntarily conserve water.

Scientific data tells us that we should expect more extreme weather events, an increase in heavy rainfall events, periods of drought, and higher temperatures year-round. In the Pomperaug Watershed, climate change is predicted to cause increased flooding and could lead to more water contamination from runoff.

Communities are continually adapting to the extremes and recognizing the need to integrate climate resiliency planning measures to begin addressing increasing storm volume. PRWC is collaborating with local, state, and regional agencies to monitor watershed conditions. For example, PRWC conducts stream crossing and streamwalk assessments and monitors stream temperature.