HVCEO - Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials |
BETHEL,
CT 2007 Wellhead
areas are well sites that produce a source of public water.
These are
the areas that the CT DEP refers to as aquifers. Areas of
high groundwater
availability are areas where geologic conditions may be appropriate
for the
development of future public water supplies. In Bethel, the
Inland Wetlands and
Waterways Commission (IWC) has the responsibility for protecting
aquifers and
groundwater. BETHEL, CT
1997 Because the Dibbles Brook, East Swamp, Limekiln Brook and Sympaug Brook Aquifers are an essential natural resource and a major source of public drinking water in Bethel, their protection is paramount. Additional protection measures could include a stratified drift aquifer overlay zone, a residential fuel tank control ordinance, and a hazardous materials management ordinance. The town should also investigate its salt storage facilities and salt spreading measures. Bethel should create a local aquifer and watershed program, delineating all local aquifers and watersheds. The following recommendations will help to initiate this program. (See Figure 15, Aquifer and Watershed Protection: Proposed Regulatory Measures). Regulatory
Measures in Zoning Within this zone, certain high risk activities are prohibited outright, while others are allowed conditionally. Permitted and regulated uses should be delineated, classification systems should be employed, development densities should be limited, underground fuel storage tanks should be prohibited, and street salt dumping and the disposal of household chemicals into septic tanks should be carefully monitored. BRIDGEWATER,
CT 2001 BROOKFIELD,
CT 2001 Continuing, "Continue to protect water quality and water resources in Brookfield by regularly reviewing the aquifer protection zone regulations to ensure adequate protection for aquifer areas." DANBURY,
CT 2002 An aquifer is a geologic formation found bedrock or stratified rift that is capable of yielding water to the earth’s surface through wells. Danbury’s major aquifers are Great Plain, Still River West, Lake Kenosia, Sugar Hollow, East Swamp and parts of Still River Middle, and Upper Saugatuck. Wellfields are subsections of major aquifers, defined as the area immediately surrounding a public drinking water supply well(s) and the region where the water supply is most vulnerable to contamination. In 1993, the Connecticut State Legislature enacted new laws designed to ensure a plentiful supply of drinking water for present and future generations by preventing contamination of ground water in areas around public wells. The Act required the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt comprehensive land use regulations and for the City to comply with a four-phase process, as follows: 1. Preparation of detailed maps (Level A) and general maps (Level B) depicting areas of contribution of recharge areas for all existing and proposed public water supply wells in stratified drift. The Level B maps... were prepared under the direction of the Department of Public Utilities and approved by DEP in 1991. 2. Authorization of the Planning commission by Common Council to act as the municipal aquifer protection agency, giving them responsibility for the implementation of the various requirements involving land use issues. 3. Preparation of an inventory of existing land uses in the subject areas within one year of the adoption of aquifer protection regulations by the state. Following approval of the Level B maps, DEP entered the maps into their geographic information system and allowed the City to use the maps generated by the system to prepare the inventory. The city is expected to update the inventory every five years. The most important result of the land use survey will be the identification of the existing and former locations of high risk land uses that entail the handling, use, storage, or disposal of large quantities of solvents, petroleum products, pesticides, or hazardous chemicals. Examples of such uses include automobile service stations, dry cleaners, machine shops, and waste disposal sites. 4. Designation of an Aquifer Protection Area as an overlay zone and preparation of aquifer protection regulations based on model regulations prepared by DEP. These tasks will clearly identify the protected areas and prohibit or regulate high-risk uses, as appropriate. Although the Level B maps are completed, the Level A maps have yet to be prepared. To assist the City with other aspects of the program, DEP will develop related model land use regulations, prepare digitized maps of protection areas, provide technical training for City staff and educational programs for the general public, and prepare guidelines for municipal purchase of land around public wells. Both {well
fields} will serve as auxiliary groundwater sources. The {First}
is used to maintain the water level in the West Lake Reservoir
between Memorial Day and Labor Day on an ‘as needed’
basis... shore. NEW
FAIRFIELD, CT 2003 Protecting water quality is especially important in areas capable of supporting high yielding wells. New Fairfield contains three coarse-grained stratified drift aquifers with high groundwater availability. Regional studies have identified the largest of the three small aquifers in New Fairfield as the Short Woods Brook Aquifer (0.4 square miles). It is included as one of 26 major aquifers in the ten-town Housatonic Valley region." Continuing, "The Short Woods Brook Aquifer is located just north of the Town Center and contains coarse-grained material that may be conducive to development of a public water supply well. In fact, HVCEO has concluded that, by virtue of its location, the Short Woods Brook Aquifer could potentially provide a small central area water supply source for the Town. To protect water quality, New Fairfield should adopt a regulation for the protection of aquifers and areas of high ground water availability to ensure that highest degree of water quality protection is met. Open space set-asides in new development and open space acquisition (possibly with the assistance of open space and other grant programs) are other tools that will protect aquifers and water quality." NEW
MILFORD, CT 1997 "Aquifers are underground water resource sites. Several such site have been identified in New Milford and are listed and described below. There are three major aquifer areas and there are some sub-areas within the larger resource area." The three areas are "Housatonic at Gaylordsville...Housatonic at New Milford .... Still River North. The Housatonic Valley Association has prepared a water resource protection strategy for New Milford This strategy should be reviewed and discussed for possible adoption by the town. NEWTOWN, CT 2003 TOWN PLAN AQUIFER TEXT The text for this section is from the 2003 Newtown, Connecticut Plan of Conservation and Development. According to the 2003 Newtown Plan “The United Water Company (UWC) obtains water supplied to its Newtown customers exclusively from two wells located in the Pootatuck Aquifer... Currently, United Water Company pumps an average of 437,000 gallons per day, with peak pumping demand of around 700,000 gallons per day. UWC’s wells have a sustained yield of 1,500,000 gallon per day.” Continuing, “UWC is currently planning on developing a new well in the Pootatuck Aquifer, in the Sandy Hook area of Town and UWC is also considering the possibility of developing additional water resources outside of the Pootatuck Aquifer.” Also, “In 2000 the PZC rezoned land in support of aquifer protection and sewer avoidance. The Town is currently considering making a request to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to update the 1978 USGS study of the Pootatuck Aquifer and further evaluate the affects of ground water withdrawal on aquatic habitat within the sole source Pootatuck Aquifer.” A Plan goal includes “updating the research and mapping of the Pootatuck Aquifer that was originally done in the late 1970's and early 1980's.” According to the 2003 Newtown Plan of Conservation and Development the Town should “expand Newtown’s aquifer protection regulations to include the Pond Brook, Aspetuck and Halfway Rivers stratified drift aquifers.” REDDING,
CT 1998 Twenty-one
stratified rift aquifers lie wholly or partly within the Town’s
boundaries. Two of these, at West Redding along the Saugatuck
River and at Poverty Hollow along the Aspetuck River, have
major significance because of their size, depth and favorable
transmissivity. Recommendation 4. of this section of the Town Plan advises to protect the Town’s groundwater resources by supporting aquifer protection districts and regulations, and also a requirement that the installation of new fuel tanks be above ground. RIDGEFIELD,
CT 1999 The water
quality and quantity of aquifers is particularly important
to Ridgefield because most of the Town’s drinking water
supply is dependent on them. As shown on the map, Ridgefield
contains several area of high groundwater availability. It is recommended that each of the major aquifers in the Town be the subject of an in-depth study of measures required to protect their viability as a water source, including specific land development controls. In addition, acquisition of land around aquifers should be a high priority in order to aid in their protection. Existing
programs such as the aquifer protection overlay zone and the
residential fuel tank ordinance should be maintained. In addition,
the Town should consider adopting an ordinance requiring the
replacement of underground fuel storage tanks which are more
than 20 years old. The early achievement of this goal can
be aided by providing financial incentives such as tax abatements
or low interest loans. SHERMAN,
CT 2001
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