Planned Water System Extension Raises Local Officials’ Concerns

By Andrew Gorosko

Borough and town officials have raised concerns about the possible adverse effects on Newtown of United Water’s planned extension of its water supply system from Newtown to the Greenridge residential subdivision in Brookfield.

Coupled with that work are some planned water system connection changes for water company customers on the southern section of Main Street. The overall project is expected to cost approximately $4 million.

Local officials say they only recently learned of the planned construction work.

United Water’s local water supply system uses a wellfield at the Pootatuck Aquifer along South Main Street, near Homestead Lane, as its water source.

Town, borough, state, and water company officials met on May 18 to discuss the upcoming extension of water service from Newtown to the Greenridge subdivision, which lies off Whisconier Road (Route 25) in Brookfield. Work on the project is planned to start soon.

In January 2008, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) and state Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) ordered United Water to provide potable water to Greenridge. Greenridge has a faulty, problem-plagued community water system.

There are about 230 single-family houses in Greenridge, where the water supply system is served by a series of tainted wells. Streets served include Greenridge Drive, Coach Road, Meadow Drive, Surrey Drive, Drover Road, and Stage Road.

Kevin Moran, a consultant for United Water, explained that problems facing Greenridge include contamination of its water system with uranium. The water produced by its supply system exceeds safety standards for the presence of uranium, he said. The long-term ingestion of uranium-tainted water could be carcinogenic, he said.

In connection with its extension of water to the Greenridge development, United Water plans to make some water equipment changes for its Newtown customers along the section of Main Street lying between the police station and the Main Street flagpole, Mr Moran said.

Well Capacity Questions

Borough Warden James Gaston said after the May 18 meeting that the water company has not yet provided local officials with much information on the water project.

Mr Gaston said local officials asked water company representatives whether United Water’s source in Newtown has an adequate water supply to provide the Greenridge area of Brookfield with water. He noted that a US Geological Survey study is underway locally to gauge the capacity of the Pootatuck Aquifer. Borough and town officials would like to review the results of that USGS study before United Water constructs its water system extension, he said.

The borough wants the water company to substantiate that the Pootatuck Aquifer has sufficient water for an extension of the water system to Brookfield, he said.

Mr Gaston said that the water service construction work planned for Main Street would require the company to obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the Borough Historic District Commission and also obtain approval from the Borough Zoning Commission.

Mr Gaston stressed that after the water company makes excavations in Main Street in order to make some water connection changes for its customers, the company should repave the entire area where excavations were made. Otherwise, the street in that area would bear a variety of unsightly uneven asphalt patches, he said.

Based on the May 18 meeting, the water company appears willing to cooperate with borough and town officials, Mr Gaston said.

Mr Gaston said the water company would not start the planned excavation work on Main Street until after the town’s Labor Day Parade on September 6.

He said it is not yet clear how costs would be covered for the various aspects of the construction project.

Mr Gaston expressed concerns that borough officials had only recently learned of the water company’s construction plans.

The DPUC is scheduled to hold a session on June 16 to consider how the various water system improvement costs would be covered, according to George Benson, town director of planning and land use. The DPUC regulates the rates which water companies charge their customers.

Mr Benson said he does not want United Water’s water supply extension project to jeopardize the current and future water resources that now serve the town. United Water must provide the town with documents to show that the water system extension would not adversely affect the water supply that serves its Newtown customers, he said.

Mr Benson said the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decided that United Water did not need to obtain a “water diversion permit” without first consulting with the town on the matter.

He added that he still has many questions about the water project, adding that the water company has not yet sufficiently explained its planned work to him.

“There’s a lot of questions about the project,” he said.

More meetings will be needed between local officials and the water company to better explain the project, he said.

In a recent letter to Denise Ruzicka, the DEP director of inland water resources, Mr Benson questioned the DEP’s decision not to require United Water to obtain a DEP water diversion permit for its plans to divert water from its wellhead at the Pootatuck Aquifer to the Greenridge section of Brookfield.

Mr Benson wrote that the town depends on that aquifer for its current and future public water supply needs. Also, the town needs assurances that the water diversion would not affect the safety of the water supply or future local development potential, he added.

Communication Breakdown

In a May 19 letter to DPH Commissioner J. Robert Galvin, State Representative Christopher Lyddy asks that the planned water system extension to Brookfield be halted until town and borough officials are able to review the USGS study to learn about the viability of the water extension project.

In the letter, Mr Lyddy objects to United Water starting work on the project soon, asking that time be taken to better review the public health and safety aspects of the project.

Town Health Director Donna Culbert said May 18, “There seems to have been a communication breakdown [between United Water and local officials] that needs to be remedied. It’s critically important to coordinate [such projects] with the Health District and the town on a project like this.”

Ms Culbert said that from a public health perspective, she would prefer to have water line extensions be made to several areas in Newtown before the local aquifer is tapped for a neighboring community.

First Selectman Pat Llodra told Legislative Council members May 19 that the DPUC did not grant intervenor status to Newtown concerning United Water’s planned water system extension to the Greenridge development.

Mrs Llodra said the town wants to stall the water extension project until the USGS study on the local aquifer is complete.

United Water apparently was not aware of borough government and borough zoning oversight of such projects when it proposed making water system improvements on Main Street, she said.

“We want to be sure we have enough water for Newtown… On September 24, the DPH wants to turn the taps on in Brookfield,” Mrs Llodra said.

Legislative Council member James Belden said the water diversion issue is a statewide policy issue. “Our future is at stake here,” he said.

Mr Belden said there are multiple water sources in Brookfield closer to Greenridge than the United Water system in Newtown.

Mr Belden said that besides providing water to Greenridge, the firm is extending its water system in anticipation of future development.

United Water Statement

Steven Goudsmith, a United Water spokesman, said that state regulators want the water company to complete its water system extension to Greenridge by September 24.

The water system will be extended northward from the intersection of Mt Pleasant Road and Hawleyville Road along Hawleyville Road to the Greenridge section of Brookfield. The water pipeline extension would not cross private property, he said.

The DPUC will decide how the costs for the various water system improvements will be shared, according to Mr Goudsmith.

In a statement, Mr Goudsmith said that the improvement project would provide Greenridge residents with a reliable water supply and also improve the water service for the company’s Newtown customers.

An upgraded water booster pump station would mean that the company can fill its storage tank off Reservoir Road more quickly, resulting in better local fire protection, he said. Also, water customers would be able to irrigate their lawns during the watering season, he said.

The Newtown water service improvements would have had to be made at some point in the future, he said. Mr Goudsmith said that making the Newtown water system improvements now, while simultaneously extending service to Brookfield, amounts to smart planning for the future.

Mr Goudsmith said that the water company is aware of the cultural and historical significance of the borough and will work closely with local officials to limit the project’s physical impact on that area.

The spokesman said that the project would not interfere with the Labor Day Parade.

Preliminary work for the installation of a water main near the intersection of Mt Pleasant Road and Hawleyville Road is scheduled to begin next week, with water pipe installation starting on about June 1, he said.