GLASTONBURY--Recent rain hasn't dried up drought concerns.
Farmers across Connecticut say the rain over the last couple of days still is no where near enough to make up for the lack of precipitation over the past several weeks and months.
Leonard's Farm in East Hartford has had to use irrigation just to keep crops growing this summer.
Scott's Orchard & Nursery in Glastonbury continues to irrigate pear trees, pumping from the pond on the property. However, that pond could use the rain as well. It needs a refill because the farm has used about 70 percent of the water.
"It's vital," Woody Scott said at the pond. "We're hoping we can get some beneficial rains and preserve some of this water to get through the season."
Farmers say they need about an inch of rain per week for their crops. In the month of July, Hartford County only saw 2.2 inches of rain, down from the "norm" of 4.18 inches, or about an inch a week. June was similar; we observed 2.01 inches of rain, and the "norm" is 4.35. In fact, the county hasn't seen more than 2.5 inches of precipitation in a month since February.
