Date: Fri 08-May-1998

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Appleblossom-water-company

Full Text:

Town Seeks Bids For Appleblossom Water Line Project

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The town is soliciting bids from contractors for the expansion of United

Water's public water supply system to the Appleblossom Lane neighborhood, an

area that has domestic well water contamination due to the presence of

industrial solvents in groundwater.

Town Public Works Director Fred Hurley said the town will open sealed bids on

the water-line extension project May 27.

The town hopes to have the project completed by early fall, but definitely

will have the job done before wintertime, Mr Hurley said. The extension

project will serve more than 90 properties.

The town has installed stormwater drainage in the Appleblossom Lane

neighborhood in preparation for the water-line extension project, Mr Hurley

said. Final road paving will be done after United Water's water pipes are

installed.

A water system pumping station will be installed in a subsurface vault. The

station will be non-descript, appearing like a traffic signal control box.

The water line extension project consists of installing approximately 8,000

linear feet of 8-inch-diameter iron water pipe, 10,000 linear feet of water

service connection lines, the removal of existing water filtration systems,

the abandonment of existing potable water supply wells, and the installation

of the water pumping station. The contractor who is awarded the water system

bid will have up to six months to complete the project.

Fuss and O'Neill, Inc, of Manchester, the town's consulting engineer, has

designed the water service extension project. Fuss and O'Neill also designed

and supervised the installation of the municipal sanitary sewer system.

Ninety-three properties in the residential Appleblossom Lane area will be

connected to the United Water public water supply system as a health

precaution. Those properties either have domestic water wells contaminated

with industrial solvents or have wells at the risk of becoming contaminated.

The contamination problem stems from a past spill or spills of the industrial

solvent tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, in the Appleblossom Lane area.

PCE also is known as perc, perclene, and perchlor. The chemical is used as an

industrial degreasing compound and as a solvent in the dry cleaning of

fabrics.

The health effects of drinking water with low levels of PCE are not known.

Results of animal studies, conducted with amounts of PCE much higher than most

people are exposed to, show that PCE can cause liver and kidney damage and

cause liver and kidney cancers. PCE may reasonably be anticipated to be a

carcinogen or cancer-causing agent, according to the US Department of Health

and Human Services.

Appleblossom Lane is a densely built neighborhood of compact homes west of

South Main Street, just south of Park Lane.

United Water service will be extended to homes on Appleblossom Lane, Dogwood

Terrace, and a section of Cedar Hill Road through the installation of new

water mains and individual service lines.

Water from existing water mains will be extended via new individual service

lines to properties on South Main Street, Prospect Drive, and Pecks Lane.

The approximately $1.3 million water-service expansion project, will be

covered by state funds and some United Water development funds.

United Water is contributing approximately $69,000 of the $1.3 million project

cost. In effect, the water company will be contributing $743 per property

served by the expanded water supply system.

The state Department of Public Utility Control, the agency that regulates

public water supply companies, requires utilities to contribute funds toward

the construction of expanded water supply systems. United Water will own the

new water mains after they are installed.

The expansion project will increase United Water's customer base from

approximately 1,000 accounts to about 1,100 accounts.

Because it would be virtually impossible to precisely know the point or points

of origin of the PCE contamination, it was decided that funds that otherwise

would be used to investigate the source of the contamination, should be spent

to provide affected property owners with a safe water supply. After the 93

properties have United Water service, their individual water wells will be

abandoned.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 08-May-1998

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