December Rains, Snowmelt Top Off Shenipsit Lake Reservoir

NORTH CENTRAL, CT — Heavy rains on Christmas Day have brought the Shenipsit Lake Reservoir up to full capacity, a spokesman for Connecticut Water said this week.

"The Shenip is full," utility spokesman Daniel Meaney said.

Shenipsit Lake is the primary reservoir in the region. It sits in parts of Tolland, Vernon and Ellington and has a capacity of 5 billion gallons.

The statistics for the end of the year are in stark contrast to the end of the summer, when drought conditions knocked the levels down to 88 percent. Though that was slightly higher than the same point in 2019, Connecticut Water had been suggesting "wise water usage" as the state went through a long spell of predominantly dry weather.

Then, the Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup announced an "increased concern" that "significant" parts of Connecticut, Tolland County included, are experiencing continued drought conditions. Summer conditions were "cause for increased concern potentially impacting water supplies, agriculture or natural ecosystems," the statement said.

Meaney said December precipitation that included two rainstorms and a foot of snow that melted brought back water levels.