Portrait Of An Aquifer—

‘Our Sole Source’ To Premiere June 22

By Kendra Bobowick

Both a dream and a labor of love, a 37-minute film that took shape over the past three years delves into both the beauty and the problems surrounding Newtown’s water quality. Our Sole Source, a Pootatuck Watershed Association (PWA) film, will be premiered on Friday, June 22, at 7 pm, at C.H. Booth Library.

There is no charge, and attendees will enjoy a wine and cheese reception at the event. The work also highlights the town’s sole source Pootatuck Aquifer, which is contained wholly within Newtown’s boundaries.

 The educational documentary “reveals how many people in our community care deeply about our water and are doing constructive things to protect it,” said PWA member Sarah Middeleer.

James Belden, president of both PWA and Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (CVTU),  said, “It’s truly our water. We are completely in control of destiny of our drinking water and the quality of water in our streams, lakes, rivers.”

Resident and PWA board member Dan Holmes came up with the idea for a film several years ago.

“I was on a stream walk with an intern” when the thought began to form, he said. “We were walking the streams, and it struck me that these are parts of town that many people will never likely see, some were incredibly beautiful, and other areas so impacted by human development, it was such a disparity.”

Naming the Land Use Agency, Conservation Commission, Newtown Forest Association, CVTU and others, Mr Holmes said he thought of “are so many groups in town that would have an interest.

“A combination of people are already trying to vigilantly protect the water,” he said. “We are so close to the aquifer and we have so much impact.”

Development, fertilizers, rainwater washing off the streets, household products, shampoos and more all affect the town’s drinking water supply and aquatic life, he said. “We need to let people know or realize the impact. One good way to reach people is a short film.”

Ms Middeleer said, “This film is truly a labor of love and reveals how many people in our community care deeply about our water and are doing constructive things to protect it. The film also points to numerous threats and risks to the watershed and aquifer, which everyone should know about.”

Newtown resident Patricia Barkman, also a PWA member, said the film reveals “how sensitive our watershed is and how everything links together as a system that ultimately supplies a large portion of Newtown’s water. This movie is a story about Newtown.”

The message Mr Holmes hopes to convey is simple: “Every person has to take the water quality seriously. Water is all around us, all the pipes, driveway, lead to water. Everything drains to areas we rely on for clean water. Anything we do wherever we are affects our health and other organisms.

“It’s not just industry dumping pollution,” he warned. “Now it’s like death by a thousand cuts — the population is growing. We have to be tuned in.”

Regarding products such as lawn care items or shampoos that are on the market and may contain chemicals harmful to the water supply, he said, “We can’t wait for government to take matters in hand, we have to manage this ourselves and handle it ourselves. We have to put the environment over profit where we can.” He wants to see the film used in schools, and possibly by other towns as an educational tool.

Mr Belden said, “Although science and understanding of pharmaceuticals in our water are increasing by the day … I am so glad [the film] is out … We can express true ownership for this water and its quality. We have the power and ability to protect our water.”

The film is also “representative of what can be done anywhere in any watershed and it’s a tribute to people with local government agencies to put forth an effort to protect this resource,” Mr Belden said.

Pootatuck Watershed Association is dedicated to clean and abundant water for Newtown’s future. Its mission is “to protect and preserve the Pootatuck River, its drainage basin and its underlying aquifer (collectively, the “watershed”), as a recreational resource and as a source of safe, clean drinking water for the benefit of the people of Newtown, now and for generations to come; promote the reasonable and prudent use and consumption of water from the watershed to assure its availability for future generations; protect, preserve and enhance the environmental health of land in the watershed so as to safeguard the water supply and provide suitable habitat for wild flora, fauna and aquatic life; encourage and promote land use and development plans and practices in the watershed and adjacent areas which will further the foregoing goals; conduct research and collect data and information regarding the watershed and its components; educate the public, especially students, regarding the watershed, its importance and value, its state, capacity and condition, and relevant threats, risks and opportunities.”

A Long Process

“I’ve been working on this too long — three, four years,” Mr Holmes said with a laugh. “Having never done this, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into.”

Mr Holmes nodded to the professional freelancer David Curtin, a small independent moviemaker out of Bridgeport; Sean Corvino, who helped with the film editing; Carol Haskins, who helped with early story boarding; and Bill and Marleen Cafarelli of Photo Art Works and Video Art Works pared down the last two hours and “really helped us finalize it.”

The film includes interviews with a host of people, including town environmental officials, NFA members, and members of the Trout Unlimited chapter.

He also received help from Charter Communications, which allowed PWA members to go through raw footage and edit the film from 16 hours of interviews and recordings into the two hour film. PWA was able to complete the film for under $20,000, after receiving $11,000 from Iroquois Gas and seed money from the PWA via funding from Potatuck Trust.

The June 22 premiere will also include conversation before and after the film. The first 100 guests will receive a free water bottle.

Following Friday’s screening, Our Sole Source will be available on PWA’s website (PootatuckWatershed.org) for anyone to view.