Towns leery of new river regs

Limits on use of Quinnipiac water may be costly to public, businesses

By Andrew Perlot
Record-Journal staff

January 19, 2010

Save the wildlife and hike the water bill?

Proposed regulations designed to make the Quinnipiac River and its tributaries safe for wildlife are alarming those who use the watershed for commercial purposes or to supply residents with water and sewer service.

Responding to Public Act 05-142, passed by the General Assembly in 2005, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection is proposing stream flow regulations to ensure that during the dryer summer season, when people are drawing the most water from state rivers, reservoirs and aquifers, enough water will be left for fish and wildlife to thrive and reproduce. The DEP would assign rivers to one of four classes under the regulations. Class 1 is for pristine rivers that will be heavily regulated, while Class 4 is for heavily used urban rivers, to which the DEP would make little attempt to alter the status quo. The other two classes fall in between.

No one knows what rivers will be placed in what cat­egory— the classifications would come after the reg­ulations are accepted— but Southington Water Superintendent Tom West said anyone who draws from the Quinnipiac is likely to be in trouble, no matter what classification the river is given.

Southington draws 85 percent of its water from wells in the summer and 100 percent in the winter, West said. Because groundwater use is more heavily restricted than reservoir use due to aquifers’ ability to release water into the Quinnipiac and its tributaries year round, even in times of drought, the town could be heavily impacted by any regulation.

Depending on the river’s classification, Southington might be allowed to draw just 3.8 million gallons a day from its wells and reservoirs, West said, based on formulas in the proposed regulations. Southington’s daily water use av­erages 3.9 million gallons for sewer and water, and can peak at 8 million gallons during the summer months.

“We would be faced with an inability to supply our existing customers,” West said. “That doesn’t even account for our expansion over time. Under this scenario, we could not add additional customers.” The result would be more cost for the reduced water, he said, and the town would have to buy water from an outside provider and have it piped in.

Water providers in Cheshire, Meriden and Wallingford, have similar concerns, although they are less dependent on wells for their supply.

In Meriden, the effect would likely be increased restrictions on water use during the dry season, said Public Utilities Director David Lohman.

“Under certain drought conditions, we could be looking at moratoriums,” he said, because the city would have to continuously release water from its reservoirs to keep the Quinnipiac flowing.

Wallingford Water and Sewer personnel could not be reached for comment, but West said they are also concerned.

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, which supplies Cheshire, is against the regulations for similar reasons, said Joan Huwiler, spokeswoman for the authority.

“We understand that the goal was laudable, but we can’t support the regulations as cur­rently drafted,” she said. Meeting the regulations would cost $15 to $20 million, which would be passed on to its customers in 15 towns. “The DEP has accomplished a great deal in looking at the needs of aquatic life. Now they need to quantify the amount of water needed for humans.”

In Southington, Pine Valley Golf Course owner Larry Della Bianca said he relies on Grannis Pond — which is connected to the Eight-Mile River, a tributary of the Quinnipiac — to irrigate his grass during the summer. His course draws 60,000 to 70,000 gallons a day during a dry spell, and the reg­ulations could spell trouble.

“I’m basically like a farmer,” he said, “but instead of having corn or other crops, I’m irrigating turf. Without water, I might as well close the door.”

Actual farmers might also be in trouble, said Steven Re­viczky, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau, a nonprofit advocate for farm­ers. Just when the river is at its lowest and wildlife need water the most, farmers need water to keep their crops from with­ering, he said. He’d like to see exemptions in the DEP’s regu­lations for farmers.

Charlie Cappanari, manager of environmental services at Cytec Industries Inc, a pro­ducer of industrial chemicals in Wallingford, said his company draws about one million gallons a day from two wells, and also buys 100,000 gallons a day of treated water from the town.

He said he believes the regulations would not cause a problem for Cytec right away, but might curtail its ability to draw more later on. He’s also concerned that the town could hike water rates as a result of the regulations.

The DEP’s stream flow reg­ulations are an attempt to balance the need for conservation with the needs of humanity, Betsey Wingfield, chief of the department’s Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, said last week.

Wingfield stressed that rivers may be classified sep­rately from their tributaries. She also said that once the regulation is accepted, in what­ever form, the public in every area would have a chance to weigh in on the classifications. The department will host an informational session Wednesday at the Wallingford Public Library, 200 N. Main St., from 7 to 9 p.m., for the public to learn about the proposal. It will then take public comment Thursday at DEP headquarters, 79 Elm St., Hartford, from 9 a.m. until the last comment is heard.

Regulations appear likely, as environmentalists are not sure if there should even be a Class 4 river, which would receive the least protection.

State Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, who helped pass the legislation, said she was surprised to see a Class 4 because the act con­tained nothing that would allow the DEP to ignore certain rivers.

Although there are concerns, Mushinsky, who is also executive director of the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, maintains that there is enough water available to serve the region.

“There is enough water falling on the state that we should be able to meet all uses,” she said.

aperlot@record-journal.com (203) 317-2234