A trend of rainy weekends continues as one of the state’s wettest summers leaks into the fall.

A rain gauge set up at Norwich Public Utilities detected 33 moderate or heavy rain events from June through September, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Fourteen of those rainy days fell on Saturdays or Sundays.

The rain has led to the cancellation of events like the Sober Softball Tournament hosted by Community Speaks Out in Groton and the Niantic Bay Oyster Festival to benefit the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut.

This summer marked the most rainfall reported in Connecticut since 1938, though the deluge was spread out over months rather than coming down predominantly in one record-setting hurricane. Data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information shows 28.18 inches of rain fell across the state this summer.

New London County was the driest in the state with 22.33 inches. Still, the total was enough to qualify as the fourth wettest summer to hit the region since the agency started collecting data in 1895.

Tammy de la Cruz, founder of the addiction recovery group Community Speaks Out with husband Joe de la Cruz, said the cancellation of the softball tournament means teams named in memory of people who died following struggles with substance use disorders will take to the field next year instead. The event had been rained out twice before the organization called it off.

She said food donated for the tournament will be used instead at Sunday’s Groton Rocks Recovery concert inside the Elks Club. The group had hoped to host the band Mass-Conn-Fusion at the Groton Hockey Rink before they learned it was under construction: “Which might’ve been the universe telling us ‘don’t do this outside,’” she said.

But the issue is broader than lost proceeds from a fundraiser, according to De la Cruz. It’s about ensuring people have a place to go rain or shine.

“When there’s so much rain like this, it causes a lot of depression,” she said. “In the field we work in, it’s just another layer added. People stay in the house. They stay in their head.”

She cited the group’s dream of building a community hub where people can congregate to ward off isolation regardless of weather. She envisioned space for meetings, a coffee or juice bar, movie nights and larger-scale events that can accommodate the public both indoors and outside under a pavilion.

“We have to be together,” she said. “Being alone in isolation is not good for somebody who’s already struggling to try to keep their sobriety.”

Ecology and economy

While some negative effects of rain are easy to see, there are ecological and economic benefits that aren’t as evident on the surface.

East Lyme utilities engineer Ben North said customers on the public water system used about 20% less water this July and August compared to last year. He attributed the reduction to the fact that customers don’t need to use sprinklers and hoses to water their lawns when there’s enough falling from the sky.

That means less stress on the lakes, streams, and aquifers the system draws from, according to North. It means lower operating costs due to pumping less water and needing less treatment chemicals and electricity. It means less reliance on pumping in water from New London to supplement East Lyme’s supply.

“Lawn irrigation uses a massive amount of water that many people do not realize until their bill comes.

But the benefits of conservation can affect tax bills, too. North noted long-term capital costs can be avoided if the town is able to meet the demand with its current supply rather than seek out new production sources, he said.

“Bringing a new well that can pump about 500 gallons a minute of treated water can cost roughly $6-10 million, depending on site requirements and location,” he said. “And as an example, one lawn irrigation head can use five to 10 gallons a minute. Combine that with the fact that one head can cover up to a 15-foot radius, there could be 10 to 20 heads per irrigation system. It's easy to see how the demand for these systems can be extremely stressful for a water system, especially one like East Lyme’s that has no large reservoir but a series of groundwater wells and several treatment facilities.”

He said the department will recommend to the Water and Sewer Commission a plan to install separate meters to measure how much water is used for irrigation so a different fee can be charged.

“I feel that those who want to irrigate should have the freedom to use as much water as they want, but the usage fees for this activity should go towards funding more production sources,” he said, citing new wells or increased supply from New London. “And these usage fees need to be higher to reflect the capital costs needed to fund this type of activity.”

e.regan@theday.com