After A Sunny Summer Tri-State Area Wells And Reservoirs Are Drying Up

RIDGEFIELD, Conn (CBSNewYork) -- A summer of brilliant sunshine and days of low humidity seem to give the summer that just passed a golden glow in our memories.

But all that great weather has worsened a rain deficit that's depleting water supplies.

The rocks in a local reservoir were baking in the sun Thursday, as streams slowed to a crawl and homes that depend on well-water begin to experience trouble.

"Customers right now are without water for a couple of hours. Then they go to bed and they'll have water only to have it run out," plumber Andrew Mulvaney told CBS2's Lou Young.

Enter the driller. Rigs have been working overtime in the area after a two-year drought trend that has lowered the water table.

"We cover the whole state of Connecticut and over to the Pennsylvania line in New York, and I'm getting calls from everywhere," well driller Henry Boyd said.

It's a long-term problem affecting the entire northeast U.S. Wells that were once fine at 50 feet are now being double, triple,and quadrupled to find decent drinking water.

"Sixty-five feet it was bone dry. Now, we're at 105 feet, and we're getting 20 to 20 gallons a minute," one worker said.

Going deeper still, reservoirs are faring better, but not by much. One in Greenwich is at 34 percent. The town board imposed restrictions on Thursday.

"You can't use your outside irrigation system. There will be a fine," Greenwich Selectman, Peter Tesei said.

Neighboring communities are asking residents to conserve. For the most part people seem to understand.

"We haven't had rain. We had that one rain storm, I think it was Saturday night. I think it poured like crazy. That's really the only rain we had all year," Stamford resident Gary Lisiewski said.

Right now, the problem seems to affect everyone who is not on New York City's water system. The only thing that will fix it is more rain, and a good winter snowpack to melt next spring.