Forum On Pollution Sources For Lake Lillinonah

Brookfield — Friends Of The Lake, a group of citizens who want to encourage the improvement and continued protection of Lake Lillinonah’s water quality and natural beauty, is hosting a public forum that will focus on current initiatives and long-term programs to identify and reduce the sources of pollution in the lake.

It will be on Thursday, November 17, in the Whisconier Middle School, 17 West Whisconier Road, , from 7 to 9 pm. The public is invited. The purpose of this forum is to bring all interested and responsible parties together to discuss the differing points of view on the problems facing Lake Lillinonah and to develop a plan of action to improve water quality.

The invited panel members include Chuck Lee and Bill Hogan from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Curtis Read from Hydro Technologies, George Knoecklein from the Lake Lillinonah Authority, William Buckley from the City of Danbury Public Works and Sanitation Department, and Professor Jennifer Klug of Fairfield University. The panel moderator will be Bill Davidson of Brookfield.

Panelists will present their opinions, pertinent information and recommendations. The panelists’ presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer period from the audience and members of the press.

Lake Lillinonah neighbors, friends, and lake enthusiasts want to keep the lake clear of garbage and debris, and reduce the pollution of its water. The water in Lake Lillinonah has high levels of algae caused by excess nutrients from the Housatonic and Still River watershed and discharges from neighboring sewage treatment plants and factories. This forum will focus on the subject of pollution. For many years the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the lake has been a cause of concern. Many studies have been ongoing to identify the sources and effects of these nutrients on the lake.

Information from these studies, as well as a discussion of the best available technology to reduce pollutants, will be presented by panelists at the forum. Discussion will also include the feasibility of implementing year-round phosphorus removal at the Danbury and New Milford sewage treatment plants.