New Protections for Pomperaug River Announced Heritage Village Water Co. Low-Flow Operations Plan Alternate Water Supply Source for Towantic Needs July Through October
Today, the Heritage Village Water Co. the CPV Towantic Energy Center, the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition and the Town of Southbury announced new and significant measures to maintain flows in the Pomperaug River. The measures proactively reduce public water supply demands that could affect river flows on the Pomperaug aquifer.
The first measure is a low-flow water operations plan that was developed through a collaborative effort of the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, the Town of Southbury and the Heritage Village Water Co. to reduce water use during low-flow periods. The plan calls for increasing levels of voluntary water conservation based on Pomperaug River flows through targeted conservation messages to Heritage Village Water customers and private well owners.
The second measure is an agreement between Heritage Village Water and the CPV Towantic Energy Center that calls for the entire daily water supply demand of the CPV Towantic facility between July 1 and October 31 to come from Connecticut Water Co.’s other water resources that are outside the Pomperaug basin.
“I applaud Heritage Village Water, the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition and our town participants for reaching agreements on these important initiatives,” stated Jeff Manville, first selectman of Southbury. Manville further stated, “These two initiatives received the strongest support from my office and the Board of Selectman when Heritage Village Water joined Connecticut Water back in 2017. We are pleased the company honored their commitment and the parties worked cooperatively to formalize the plan for the benefit of the Pomperaug River.”
David Bjerklie, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition executive director, stated, “I also commend the Town and Heritage Village Water for this work. This is all about our collective responsibilities to be environmental stewards. Reducing demand on the aquifer during the period of low-flow is a very positive step toward smartly balancing critical public water supply needs with the need to protect aquatic river health. I’m pleased that our science-based approach to water resource management was the foundation of this effort.”
Maureen P. Westbrook, VP of customer and regulatory affairs for Heritage Village Water and Connecticut Water, stated, “These agreements show the value and benefit of forming strong relationships to protect the Pomperaug River for current and future generations while providing for public water needs. Heritage Village Water will continue to do its part to promote the wise use of water among customers and invest in infrastructure and conservation initiatives to minimize the use of water supplies in the Pomperaug aquifer.” She added, “We appreciate the work of the town leaders, PRWC, and our partners at Milone and MacBroom, who were instrumental in working with all parties over the past two years to make today’s announcement possible.”
“CPV is pleased to enter into an agreement with the Heritage Village Water Co. to provide an alternate water supply source for the CPV Towantic Energy Center during the Pomperaug aquifer’s low-flow periods,” said CPV CEO Gary Lambert. “The agreement aligns with CPV’s commitment to developing the most efficient, economic and environmentally responsible power projects in the world.”
Information on Pomperaug River flows and the corresponding level of voluntary water conservation being requested under the low-flow operations plan is available at www.pomperaug.org/lowflowplan. Currently, the Pomperaug River flows are above conservation thresholds and no voluntary conservation measures are requested.
About Connecticut Water, Avon Water and Heritage Village Water
The companies are local water utilities, regulated by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, which combined provide water service to more than 104,000 customers in 59 Connecticut towns and wastewater services to 3,000 customers in the town of Southbury, Connecticut.
The towns served are Ashford, Avon, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bolton, Brooklyn, Burlington, Canton, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Deep River, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Essex, Farmington, Griswold, Guilford, Hebron, Killingly, Killingworth, Lebanon, Madison, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Oxford, Plainfield, Plymouth, Portland, Prospect, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southbury, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterbury, Westbrook, Willington, Windsor Locks and Woodstock.
About the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition
PRWC’s mission is to ensure plentiful high quality water in the Pomperaug Watershed communities through the use of science and education. We share our knowledge and expertise with others committed to the protection of the vital water resources upon which we all depend. PRWC accomplishes its mission by employing the latest science to advance best management of the watershed and by creating a partnership of local governments, businesses, private individuals, scientists and environmental groups who work collaboratively to protect the health and vibrancy of the Watershed.
PRWC’s programs and services include: development and acquisition of scientific watershed and river data; provision of technical assistance on environmental challenges; and facilitation of educational programs. All of PRWC’s programs and activities underscore our collective roles as stewards of our environment and promote good habits to keep our watershed and rivers healthy.
About the CPV Towantic Energy Center
The CPV Towantic Energy Center (CPV Towantic) is an 805-megawatt, natural-gas-fueled combined-cycle electric generating facility operating in the Woodruff Hill Industrial Park in Oxford, Connecticut. The facility generates enough electricity to power nearly 800,000 homes, helping Connecticut to safely meet its demand for energy with reliable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible low emissions generation. Displacing the need for older, less efficient generators, CPV Towantic lowers overall emissions and improves the state’s environmental profile. CPV Towantic’s innovative design also incorporates advanced air-cooling technology which conserves natural resources by reducing water use by approximately 85% compared to traditional facilities. The project is owned by Competitive Power Ventures, Inc. and its partners, including Osaka Gas USA, and is being managed by CPV and operated by NAES Corporation. For more information: http://cpv.com/our-projects/cpv-towantic/