Water levels in river & lakes remain dangerous

After a brief respite, it rained again on Sunday, July 25, and the Housatonic River, which had been dropping, leveled off and began to rise again.

Monday morning, July 26, the United States Geological Survey measured the river at 1,890 cubic feet per second (cfs) at Falls Village. The historical median flow is a little over 300 cfs.

The river peaked at over 7,000 cfs on July 20-21.

The river remained discolored on Monday. 

The high flow and lack of visibility combine to make the river extremely dangerous to recreational users. 

It hasn’t been much better on the Farmington River, where the situation is complicated by excess water in the two reservoirs that feed the West Branch.

That water had to go somewhere  — and it was released into the river.

The flow from the dam in Riverton was cut back on Friday, July 23, from over 2,000 cfs to about 500 cfs (historical median is between 200-300 cfs). 

That means the stretch of the West Branch of the Farmington between Riverton (and the junction with the Still River) and the dam was fishable over the weekend. 

The Still RIver had dropped significantly and by Monday morning, July 26, was adding between 100-200 cfs to the overall flow of approximately 700 cfs.

That’s a high but manageable flow for recreational users. But it does not mean that precautions should be abandoned or silly risks taken. Two weeks ago two teenage boys drowned in the swollen Farmington.

It isn’t only river levels that are high. Lakes, creeks and ponds also have much more water in them than usual. Although these water bodies may seem placid on the surface, they are all still very dangerous. 

In particular, parents of young children should be alert to the fact that the water is deeper than normal in children’s swimming areas. Where a child might have been safe in a normal year walking out a particular distance in the water, this year the water is likely to be much deeper than normal. Parents should keep a close eye as the water levels continue to rise and fall on a daily level.

And as always, the Housatonic might seem like a small river but it is mightier than it looks. Even in a normal year there are drownings in Falls Village and/or Kent; there has already been one fatality this year.