The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) has recommended approval of a diversion permit application that will allow UConn and the Town of Mansfield to supplement their existing water supply with additional capacity from Connecticut Water Co.
The decision, issued late Thursday, helps ensure an adequate water supply over the coming decades on UConn’s Storrs campus and for customers in Mansfield, including the Four Corners area.
The DEEP decision affirmed the prior findings of the Notice of Tentative Determination (NTD) that the agency issued last December. It concluded the permit application was complete and the proposed diversion: is necessary, will not significantly affect long-range water resources management, and will not impair proper management and use of the state’s water resources.
“UConn appreciates the DEEP’s timely and thoughtful approach to this application. This approval will help ensure a long-term water supply for UConn and the Storrs area that is environmentally prudent while at the same time being fiscally sound,” said Jason Coite, environmental compliance manager in UConn’s Office of Environmental Policy.
“The University is committed to being a good steward of this natural resource through our ongoing water conservation and reuse initiatives, along with robust education and awareness programs,” he added.
The joint application between UConn and Connecticut Water was built on extensive supporting information, and there were many opportunities for the public to comment on the application both before it was filed and after it was submitted to DEEP.
The DEEP hearing officer noted in her decision that Connecticut Water and UConn “demonstrated by a preponderance of the substantial evidence that the application and the revised draft permit, which contains provisions that are sufficient to protect the environment, comply with all relevant statutes and regulations.”
Eric Thornburg, President and CEO of Connecticut Water, said, “We are eager to focus our efforts on the next steps of the project so that we can provide a supplemental supply of water to the University and become the public water supplier for off campus customers in Mansfield. The company will continue to be open and transparent as we move into the pipeline construction phase.”
The Diversion Permit application was filed in April 2014, and the amount of water supply requested in the application was based on estimates of UConn’s and Mansfield’s projected needs through the permit’s 25-year term.
Specifically, it will allow Connecticut Water to provide as much as 1.18 million gallons per day (mgd) on average and a maximum of 1.85 mgd for a peak day, although the town and University anticipate using considerably less than that at the outset.
The company will bear the cost of building the pipeline from Tolland to Storrs, with no contribution or surcharges borne by Mansfield, its residents, or UConn. The newly constructed pipeline will connect to UConn’s system at a point of connection provided by the University.
The permit includes various conditions, as typically required by DEEP, that call for monitoring, reporting, and best management practices to ensure the protection of the environment. In addition, the permit has specific provisions that will maintain the streamflow releases to the Hockanum River to protect downstream fishery habitats.
Several public information meetings were hosted prior to the filing of the Diversion Permit application and DEEP’s public comment process on the Notice of Tentative Decision continued for nearly four months, commencing on Dec. 16, 2014 and concluding on April 15.
The Proposed Final Decision is available for viewing on the the DEEP website.
