Connecticut Water Co. Issues Statement on Regional Pipeline

The Connecticut Water Co. has issued the following news release after a   Wednesday meeting with the Tolland Water Commission regarding plans for a regional pipeline: 

Tonight, representatives of Connecticut Water met with the Tolland Water Commission to reaffirm plans to create a regional pipeline that will interconnect their respective water systems. 

Eric Thornburg, Connecticut Water’s President and CEO, said his company is “committed to continuing our outreach efforts.”

“We believe one of our jobs is to be constantly and consistently communicating with our customers, potential customers, and stakeholders about what we’re doing,” said Thornburg. 

Regarding the regional pipeline that was a topic of discussion at the meeting, Thornburg said: “The project is mutually beneficial for both TWC and Connecticut Water. Once the Regional Pipeline is installed, TWC will have emergency water source capable of serving its customers in the event its source(s), storage or water mains are offline or damaged. For Connecticut Water, we will have a redundant supply for customers of our Riversedge water system in Willington who are supplied by TWC’s system.” 

Connecticut Water’s existing water system terminates on Route 195 in Tolland, west of the I-84 interchange. The TWC’s existing water system terminates on Route 195 east of I-84. Connecticut Water will install 4,100 feet of 16-inch water main to connect its Northern-Western water system to TWC’s water system.
TWC’s portion of the Regional Pipeline consists of 4,100 feet of existing 12-inch water main. 

In addition, the Regional Pipeline is part of the long-term solution for the water supply needs of UConn’s Storrs Campus and the Town of Mansfield.

In August, the UConn Board of Trustees selected Connecticut Water as the preferred provider of a long-term water supply solution to the University and Mansfield. The Regional Pipeline will draw its water from Connecticut Water’s Shenipsit Lake Reservoir, which has a capacity of 5 billion gallons of water, a registered diversion of 15 million gallons per day (mgd) and an approved safe yield of 10 mgd.

These water supply reserves far exceed the company’s average daily reservoir withdrawal of 4 mgd. Connecticut Water’s Lake Shenipsit Reservoir will be able to meet the needs of all customers along its path, including the up to 2.2 mgd that UConn and Mansfield have estimated will be needed sometime over the next 50 years. Connecticut Water has also committed that it will continue to meet current, and future, required streamflow releases to maintain the quality of the Hockanum River. 

Construction on the pipeline and interconnection to the TWC is scheduled to begin this fall and be completed by the spring of 2014.