Saint Martha's Pond in Enfield Nearly Dried Up

ENFIELD, CT — One of Enfield's most popular spots for fishing and ice skating for decades is now nearly nonexistent due to a severe drought that has plagued the state.

The pond behind Saint Martha Church and School has dried out to the point where barely any water remains - a far cry from the not-long-ago days of shoulder-to-shoulder fishing and pickup hockey games on the frozen ice sheet.

Current photos and a recently-produced video found on YouTube show little more than the mud floor of the pond, which for many years has been a haven for anglers seeking starfish, trout and brown bullhead. A portion of the pond behind a small dam area is now grass-covered.

Department of Public Works director Jonathan Bilmes said the department "is not doing any work in that vicinity. To the best of our knowledge, the low water level of the pond is due solely to natural causes."

Precipitation in Hartford County has been far below normal in 2016, with rainfall in a six-month period from April to September totaling 16.72 inches, or 63 percent of the normal 26.53 inches. September alone saw just 1.52 inches of rain, or 36 percent of the usual amount of 4.27 inches, according to figures from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Photo credits: Scott Shepherd, Earl Cecire

Video credit: Mike Shermer via YouTube