The Board of Selectmen received an update from Aquarion Water Company about both impending water problems due to the Bethel wellfield being down at the selectmen’s May 5 meeting.

Jeff Ulrich, Aquarion’s vice-president of operations, said that a collapsed culvert on the Housatonic Railroad property caused by the flooding in August 2024 has blocked up and contaminated the streambed there with debris, forcing Aquarion to shut down a wellfield that was producing 1.2 to 1.3 million gallons of water per day to Newtown.

The debris continues a long way downstream as it has been washed further and further away over time.

“Lots of the material [from the culvert] is still in the stream bed,” said Ulrich. “Right now our wellfield continues to be flooded and as a result, we can’t utilize it.”

First Selectman Jeff Capeci also noted that a stream bank was compromised by the flooding and needs to be shored up, as well as a nearby hill.

With the wellfield unusable, the town is currently getting water through a pipeline from Monroe that was installed five or six years ago, according to Ulrich, but that has a lower maximum capacity of 900,000 gallons per day. Aquarion said 2,500 to 3,000 customers are affected, or roughly 10,000 people considering roughly three per household.

“We will have trouble maintaining the increased demand in summer,” said Ulrich.

Aquarion announced last month that it was implementing a non-essential water use ban for the summer in an effort to not overtax the system.

“We don’t want to hurt car washing businesses, nurseries, or power washing businesses, but we do want to reduce outdoor water use for irrigation,” said Ulrich. “In summer, sometimes demand can be twice the normal in other seasons and the majority of that is outdoor water use.”

Ulrich said that Aquarion staff will be coming into Newtown and Bethel looking for customers using outdoor watering. Customers found to be ignoring the ban will receive a warning. Those that ignore three warnings may find their water shut off.

The town and Aquarion are both attempting to work with Housatonic Railroad, as well as attempting to enlist the assistance of FEMA and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Ulrich said that private businesses cannot get grants from FEMA, but if the state takes the lead the project could qualify for grants that will reimburse 75% of the cost.

However, according to Ulrich, “things are not moving as quickly as we’d like.”

The railroad doesn’t have the proper insurance to cover the stream bed, and it is costing it $8 million to repair the stream line. To clean the stream bed is an estimated $2 to $4 million. The railroad is also concerned that the work cleaning the stream bed will not add to its own costs repairing the railroad.

Ulrich said that at a meeting earlier this month, DEEP did indicate it may take the lead on the clean up.

The town is looking at spending $40,000 to test the banks to get firmer numbers on the cost of shoring up the banks.

Capeci said the work would have three phases: securing the banks and cleaning out the culvert debris, securing the collapsing hill, and then the railroad rebuilding the culvert.

To ensure an adequate water supply for daily use and fire flow, non-essential outdoor water use restrictions have been placed in effect by Aquarion.

Prohibited Outdoor Water Uses

Prohibited outdoor water uses under the current restrictions include: Lawn watering by irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler; car washing (except for commercial car washes); washing of exterior building surfaces, decks, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways (except as needed to apply coatings); and filling of swimming pools.

Home and business owners are permitted to use trucked pool water service that does not utilize this system’s water.

Permitted Outdoor Water Uses

Permitted outdoor water uses under the current restrictions include: Irrigation to meet a core commercial function (sprinkler irrigation must be completed between 9 pm and 5 am); golf course greens and tees, and limited watering of fairways and roughs (gardens, flowers, and ornamental plants must be watered using drip irrigation or hand-held methods); wedding and special event venues (again, gardens, flowers, and ornamental plants must be watered using drip irrigation or hand-held methods); commercial nurseries and farms; professional washing of exterior building surfaces, decks, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways as needed to apply coatings; washing of boats to prevent saltwater impacts and the transfer of invasive species; and hand-held watering or drip irrigation of residential gardens and ornamental plantings

These restrictions are subject to change. Variances will not be offered under these restrictions.

For more information see aquarionwater.com/newtown-bethel-update or contact aquarion Water Company at aquarion Water Company, 200 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe CT 06468; call 800-732-9678, or visit aquarionwater.com.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.