Norwich — With rain pouring down outside the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners meeting room, Norwich Public Utilities officials said water levels in the city's two reservoirs are down to a combined 54 percent water capacity, a steady decline somewhat slowed by three recent rainstorms.

“What we're getting (Tuesday and Wednesday) will help some,” Mark Decker, NPU water integrity manager, told the utilities commission.

But the city is still down by about 10 inches of rain from normal amounts, causing concern heading into winter, when the reservoirs usually are replenished. Decker said by this time in 2015, the reservoirs were at 75 percent, and it took until March to reach “full pond” heading into the summer dry period.

As of Tuesday, the combined levels at the Deep River and Stony Brook reservoirs were at 53 to 54 percent, with the smaller Stony Brook reservoir at about 50 percent of capacity.

Decker said three storms of about 1 to 2 inches of rain each in recent weeks helped slow the decline, but not enough to make levels rise. Reservoir levels rise more quickly during the winter, when the ground is frozen and water runs into streams toward the reservoirs, NPU officials said.

Decker said if the reservoirs drop to a combined 50 percent capacity, more stringent water conservation measures would be put in place. Notices will be placed in the December water bills alerting customers that the entire state is in a water emergency and directing them to the NPU website, www.norwichpublicutilities.com, for conservation tips.

“We need about 10 days of rain like this to help us,” NPU General Manager John Bilda said prior to the start of Tuesday's meeting.

The drought wasn't the only water issue on Tuesday's agenda. The utilities commission approved resolutions that will ask the City Council to approve two ordinances for major water projects. The first is an increase from $2.8 million to $3.5 million in the budget for replacing the Mohegan Park water storage tank to cover cost increases, design changes and project changes. The project is being funded through utility revenue and state grants and loans, rather than through city tax money, and would not require a referendum, Bilda said.

The second proposed ordinance calls for $2.9 million to fund upgrades to water metering throughout the city, also to be funded through water revenues.

The water projects will be partially funded through water rate increases the commissioners approved last May. At the time, the board decided to split the 22.7 percent water rate increase into two phases, a 10 percent increase that started July 1 and another 12.7 percent increase to take effect in January. The new water bills in January will include a "capital tracker" showing the portion of the bill applied to water system improvements. The capital projects were part of the major rate increase, NPU spokesman Chris Riley said.

c.bessette@theday.com