With rain in short supply, three public water systems approaching critically low levels received an emergency declaration from the state in the last two months.
The first to receive the declaration of a public water supply emergency was Aquarion Water Company's southwestern region, followed by Waterbury.
Danbury received its declaration on Tuesday and officials warn it might not be the last.
"The 1980-81 drought was quite severe for the State of Connecticut and I think we might, if it doesn't rain, we might be headed for something similar," Lori Mathieu, public health water section chief for the Department of Public Health, said.
While Tuesday's public meeting in Norwich was not in response to current conditions, the drought makes the water planning vouncil's goal all the more urgent.
Made up of representatives from DEEP, DPH, OPM, and PURA, the agencies are working together to come up with a comprehensive plan that balances the needs of water when it comes to personal usage, economic development, recreation and ecological health.
"Water is really taken for granted, and what we're here tonight to do is to make sure we have plenty of it moving forward," John Betkoski, III, vice chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and Chairman of the Water Planning Council, said.
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The council and its consultant, CDM Smith, took questions and input from the public Tuesday night. Those with the water industry raised concerns about data gaps and implementation and wanted to make sure that any plan doesn't increase costs. Those with private wells voiced concerns about how it could impact them as well.
Officials said they're not looking to create mandates but to create a framework, to recommend policies and to identify opportunities to improve water management.
One example they gave is exploring the idea of using Class B water for irrigation instead of using potable water.
"That's one of the items that will be looked at here very carefully is water conservation, the wise use of high-quality water that is used for human consumption but is also used for many other uses," Mathieu said.
Currently the water plan is in Phase I, which officials said deals with assessing current conditions and practices, evaluating future conditions, and prioritizing issues.
Officials said Phase II deals with developing consensus-based policy recommendations, developing pathways towards a resolution for unresolved issues, formulating a decision framework for ongoing and future water issues, and defining opportunities for regional collaboration.
There are two more public outreach meetings for Phase I, a repeat of the meeting in Norwich for those who were unable to attend that one.
Phase I Public Outreach Meetings:
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 -- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Hearing Room 1 at PURA, 10 Franklin Square, New Britain
- Thursday, Oct. 27 -- 6 p.m. to 8p p.m. Room 205 of the Southbury Town Hall, 501 Main Street South, Southbury
Phase II includes 5 stakeholder workshops and 3 public outreach meetings. The public outreach meetings will take place in January, February and April.
Phase II Stakeholder Workshops (location to be determined):
- Nov. 17, 2016
- Jan. 12, 2017
- Feb. 2, 2017
- Feb. 16, 2017
- April 20, 2017
For more information on the Water Plan, you can head to the website.
