As winter approaches and the ground freezes, dry wells could stay dry through spring

According to the National Weather Service, “overall conditions are still running significantly below normal, with most of the region running between 30 percent to 60 percent of normal” rainfall. Allyson Hill, the director of the Oxford County Emergency Management Association, said she has been hearing reports of homeowners refilling their wells from local water sources. Water gets into wells from the water table in the ground. It is then filtered through sand and clay and rocks. Dumping water into a well bypasses those natural filters, according to Hill, and can introduce bacteria and water into a home. “You should never pour,” Hill said. There is another complication looming. Once the ground freezes, drought conditions are usually locked in until spring because water cannot dissipate down to wells when the ground is frozen.