State Regulators Approve

Aquarion Water Supply For Greenridge

By Andrew Gorosko

State regulators have given final approval to the Aquarion Water Company’s proposal for supplying safe drinking water to the 230-home Greenridge residential development in Brookfield from a source within Brookfield, deciding that the Aquarion plan is a better alternative than having United Water extend its Newtown-based public water supply system to Greenridge.

In a November 2 decision, the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and the state Department of Public Health (DPH) endorsed a draft decision published by the two agencies on October 14.

In the agencies’ conclusion following their review of voluminous information and much testimony on the issue, they wrote, in part, “This determination was made in reviewing both the United and the Aquarion proposals, the risks involved with each proposal, and the benefits associated with each proposal.”

In the decision the regulators require that no later than November 30, and monthly thereafter, Aquarion shall provide construction updates, including percentage of completion and expected completion date, as well as a listing of the money spent to date on the project.

Additionally, the regulators require that no later than November 30, and monthly thereafter, United shall provide construction updates for United’s portion of the Aquarion proposal, including percentage of completion and expected completion date, as well as a listing of money spent to date on the project.

In order for Aquarion to provide water to Greenridge from a source within Brookfield, United would need to make some improvements to its community water system that serves Greenridge.

The state regulators also are requiring that by the end of December 2012, Aquarion shall complete a water supply plan for the several water supply systems that it owns in Brookfield.

The existing water supply in Greenridge has long been contaminated with naturally occurring radioactive minerals and thus is unsuitable for consumption due to health concerns.

In April 2010, the state regulators had approved construction plans for United extending its Newtown-based water supply to Greenridge.

But after construction started in May 2010, both Town of Newtown and Borough of Newtown officials objected, raising various issues about that project, and asking whether such a water system extension would potentially jeopardize Newtown’s future water supply needs.

The town and borough officials cautioned that a United Water extension to Greenridge would be environmentally unwise because it would amount to transferring water from one watershed into another watershed, potentially depleting the Pootatuck Aquifer and the adjacent Pootatuck River.

United’s water supply is drawn from wells in the Pootatuck Aquifer off South Main Street, near Sand Hill Plaza.

Aquarion submitted its water system proposal for Greenridge to PURA/DPH in June this year, explaining that its acquisition of some small water companies in Brookfield would make its Greenridge water supply plans possible.