Sustainable Solutions

The level of water in reservoirs rises and falls throughout the year. Reservoirs are at their highest levels in the spring when they fill with rain and snowmelt. That water is used throughout the summer and early fall. Water levels begin to rise again in November when leaves are off the trees and people are using less water outdoors. The RWA has records of water levels dating back almost 100 years, and we use that information to calculate a long-term average for the amount of water in the reservoirs for each month.

Water Supply Status as of March 31, 2023

Current Status:
Our reservoirs are at 98% of capacity.

Normal Status for Time of Year:
Reservoirs are usually at 91% of capacity.

Storage by System:

North Branford    98%
Saltonstall    99%
West River    100%
Whitney  100%

To make sure we have enough water for public health and fighting fires, we have a drought response plan based on the long-term average. The drought response plan calls for specific actions that the RWA and consumers can take at each level. The RWA makes changes to its operations to increase the amount of water available and to save as much water as possible.  As a drought becomes more serious, there will be requests to reduce water consumption at each level, starting with 10 percent at the Advisory Threshold and continuing to water rationing if we’re in a state of emergency. 

Drought Thresholds (Percent):

  Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Long Term Average
77
82
91
94
93
88
81
74
68
66
66
72
Advisory
54
61
65
65
66
62
55
48
43
39
43
48
Watch
45
50
58
58
58
54
48
41
35
32
34
31
Warning
38
42
50
50
51
46
40
33
27
24
25
33
Emergency
31
25
44
44
44
40
33
27
21
17
20
26