There was a time long ago when people widely considered areas with saturated soils, such as swamps, marshes, bogs, and fens, collectively known as wetlands, to be wastelands, places where encroachment simply happened and dumping was okay.

But times have changed. Following the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a seminal book about the damage caused by pesticides, public thinking about all things environmental shifted.

With the burgeoning environmental movement that then followed, the ecological value of wetlands and their rich biodiversity became apparent to the public.

To remind people who may have forgotten about the value of wetlands and also to introduce others to the subject, the Conservation Commission is sponsoring a display employing text and graphics explaining the important role that wetlands play in the planet’s ecology. The display is located in the Newtown Municipal Center’s main corridor, near the town Land Use Agency.

On February 11, Conservation Commission Chairman Holly Kocet and commission member Gail Friedman stopped by the display to explain the value of wetlands.

Besides the rich array of flora and fauna found in wetland environments, those areas serve the important purposes of water purification, flood control, and erosion control, Ms Kocet said. Through the display, the Conservation Commission hopes to help the general public recognize the presence of wetlands and the value of protecting them.

Ms Kocet said she hopes that residents become vigilant about spotting illegal activities that occur in wetlands, such as clearing, dumping, and earthen filling. “Protecting the wetlands is in everyone’s interest,” she said.

Wetlands Spotlight

Wetlands protection has been prominently featured in the local news during the past several months.

In January, following several months’ review, Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members approved a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for Planters’ Choice LLC, a Huntingtown Road plant nursery at which a wide range of environmental violations were discovered in the spring of 2018. The town responded to complaints from nearby residents in uncovering those problems at 100 acres of growing areas.

Generally, the wetlands violations resulted from uncontrolled erosion and sedimentation. Unauthorized activities that had occurred on the grower’s properties included land clearing, earthen filling, grading, and the deposition of earthen material within regulated wetland areas.

Currently, the IWC is reviewing the proposed filling of about three acres of wetlands at a 138-acre tract in Hawleyville, where Hawleyville Properties LLC is seeking to construct 583,500 square feet of enclosed space for warehouses/offices and a medical office building. The rugged, difficult-to-develop tract located near Exit 9 of Interstate 84 has been viewed by town officials for years as a good location for economic development.

History

In 1972, the Connecticut legislature approved a major environmental law on concerning the protection of inland wetlands and watercourses. (Other state law covers the protection of tidal wetlands).

That 1972 law describes the value of wetlands/watercourses and the need to protect the fragile natural resources through regulation by municipal agencies across the state, which were initially known as Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commissions (IWWC).

“The wetlands and watercourses are an interrelated web of nature essential to an adequate supply of surface and underground water; to hydrological stability and control of flooding and erosion; to the recharging and purification of groundwater; and to the existence of many forms of animal, aquatic, and plant life,” according to the law.

“Many inland wetlands and watercourses have been destroyed or are in danger of destruction because of unregulated use by reason of the deposition, filling or removal of material, the diversion or obstruction of water flow, the erection of structures, and other uses, all of which have despoiled, polluted, and eliminated wetlands and watercourses,” it adds.

“Such unregulated activity has had, and will continue to have, a significant, adverse impact on the environment and ecology of the State of Connecticut and has and will continue to imperil the quality of the environment, thus adversely affecting the ecological, scenic, historic, and recreational values and benefits of the state for its citizens now and forever,” according to the state law.

“The preservation and protection of the wetlands and watercourses from random, unnecessary, undesirable, and unregulated uses, disturbance, or destruction is in the public interest and is essential to the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of the state,” it continues.

The law enabled the eventual formation of municipal IWWCs across the state intended for the protection, preservation, maintenance, and use of inland wetlands and watercourses by minimizing their disturbance and pollution.

The town’s seven-member appointed IWC administers the town’s wetlands regulations as well as the town’s forest practices regulations. The IWC’s membership also serves as the town’s Aquifer Protection Agency (APA).

Among its many roles, the appointed seven-member Conservation Commission monitors local open space land with the goals of maintaining and enhancing the conservation of natural or scenic resources; protects natural streams and water supplies; promotes the conservation of soils and wetlands; enhances the value of parks, forests, wildlife preserves, nature reservations, and sanctuaries; enhances public recreational opportunities; preserves historic sites; implements the Town Plan of Conservation and Development; promotes orderly development; and helps reduce the demands of residential development for town services and public spending.