Making A Stand At Deep Brook—

An Environmental Battle Line Flows Through Town

By Kendra Bobowick

She beckons to environmentalists especially after a heavy rain.

As if proving her distress, Deep Brook will quickly fill during a storm and flood her banks. The stream’s habitat succumbs to erosion and deterioration that take place quietly but persistently within the water-body that travels through the center of town. Rising to the occasion are environmentalists, volunteers, and public officials who regard the brook with both admiration and concern.

“Number one, it has survived amidst the development of Newtown since the Colonial times,” Conservation Official Rob Sibley said. Deep Brook once played a role in the economy. He said, “It used to generate power in mills…” Today the trickling body of water is a focus for conservationists.

Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited President James Belden said, “Deep Brook is our embattled body of water that needs protection.”

The past has caught up with Deep Brook.

Looking back at Newtown’s population and economic growth, Mr Sibley said, “There is stress from use, from development and it has reached a plateau — the stream is being stressed out and overburdened.” Describing the culmination of development over the decades, Mr Sibley explained, “The run-off and the stormwater are the paramount sources of pollution, from thermal and sediment; it brings pollutants into our river from our roads.”

Also flinching at the threats to Deep Brook’s water quality, Mr Belden noted the fact that Deep Brook has survived poor land-use decisions. “But, we’re at a point where we can’t keep laying abuses on it — we have to start fixing old mistakes.” Mr Belden then offered a grim prediction, saying, “If we don’t fix old mistakes, we’re going to kill it with new ones — it’s past the point of what a pristine trout stream can handle.”

The Next Decade

“This is the beginning of the golden age of this stream,” Mr Sibley said. “It’s being watched by both public and private agencies not only for its beauty, but also as a barometer for our watershed and if we continue care, I see a recovery.”

Preservation efforts that have begun to reshape and enhance the banks of Deep Brook and immediate habitat are critical. “When I see this I see a fighting chance for a stream stressed by decades,” Mr Sibley said. He then warned, “When we expect a stream can survive, it can’t, not without the TLC it demands.”

Anticipating development at Fairfield Hills and along Main Street, Mr Belden advised, “We have to learn to better manage stormwater.”

From an environmental perspective, Mr Belden explained, “The things that go wrong with Deep Brook are symptoms.” When dealing with encroaching development and poor stormwater management, Mr Belden said, “You can focus on Deep Brook for an indication of water quality and assess what is happening…the water on the surface is only a few feet from our drinking water.” But the water that spills from the kitchen tap is only part of the equation.

While representing Trout Unlimited, and also the Pootatuck Watershed Association, Mr Belden is concerned about the stream’s aquatic life, but also about the water flowing to residents’ homes. He explained, “The first important thing to remember — it’s not about fish, it’s about human health as much as the environment. Deep Brook is one of only ten Class I trout habitats in the state, which means the trout population is self-sustaining.”

 

Its Own Gravity

Both Mr Sibley and Mr Belden agree that Deep Brook attracts attention.

“Deep Brook is just big enough to notice,” Mr Belden said. Residents are familiar with the stream that meanders through Ram Pasture toward Hawley Pond. Noting that it runs through the center of town, Mr Belden said, “It’s visible to everyone, whether you’re at Fairfield Hills, playing golf, or taking the kids to Dickinson.” The water moves through the pasture, Dickinson Park, The Newtown Country Club, and through Fairfield Hills, where it meets the Pootatuck River.

Pointing to another reason the stream gets so much attention, Mr Belden said, “It’s a wonderful body of water that is infinitely connected to our public health.”

He said, “If you start with dirty water you end with dirty water…the water belongs to everybody and a majority of our town drinks from this source and whether it’s because you like the fish or to drink clean water, it is important to the environment.”

Among those watching the stream are a handful of key people already actively restoring and fortifying portions of Deep Brook against erosion. Some of the individuals intent on environmental preservation in Newtown include Resource Conservationist Todd Bobowick with the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pootatuck Watershed Association and Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited President James Belden, town officials and town departments, including the land use office, recreation department, and conservation department; the many environmental groups converge to form Roots for Newtown.

“If you don’t have some leaders, you don’t have crews that want to follow,” Mr Sibley said. While some among the crew may be town officials, others are residents lending a hand. “You never want to underestimate volunteers,” he said.

Conservation projects have already begun. In place along some stretches of Deep Brook, and in part settled into position by volunteers, are the stones and logs used to build up the river’s banks, plantings to secure the soil at its edges, and a stern eye toward stormwater management for any new development.