Connecticut Source Water Collaborative

Introduction

Modeled after successful national, state, and regional initiatives, Connecticut has kicked off its own statewide Source Water Collaborative. What is a Source Water Collaborative? It’s a group of organizations with a common goal, protecting our drinking water at the source. By working together, we hope to find ways to combine our resources and knowledge to better protect our public drinking water supplies.

CT Source Water Collaborative Charter Signing

On May 4, the Connecticut Source Water Collaborative a celebrated Drinking Water Week by signing a charter formalizing the group.  A ceremony was held on the banks of the City of Middletown’s Mt. Higby Reservoir.  The weather was cloudy and blustery with a constant threat of cold rain, but that didn’t dampen members’ enthusiasm in sharing their visions of the Collaborative using the theme of a rose, a thorn and a bud.  Some roses include the group itself and the support that the members receive from their employers to continue participating, thorns include the challenge of communicating the message broadly and maintaining CT’s progressive laws that protect sources of public drinking water from waste water discharges and development of water utility owned lands, buds were opportunities that ranged from growth of participants that can benefit an entire organization to contributing to the growth and education of the next generation of water professionals.  David Knauf of the CT Association of Directors of Health summed up the ceremony perfectly when he used an analogy about the nurturing and care that culminates in a beautiful rose to describe the efforts needed to grow a collaborative.  The event was covered by the Middletown Press and featured on the front page of the May 7, 2016 edition.  Photos of the signing event are here.  

Connecticut Source Water Collaborative Charter

Please take the time to visit the web pages of the CT Source Water Collaborative Partners:  

Workshops/Meetings

• Meeting June 11, 2024: The Connecticut Source Water Collaborative met to discuss incorporation of source water protection into local land use planning and decision-making, followed by a walking tour of Aquarion Water Company’s Easton Lake Facilities and a discussion on invasive species, climate change, balanced use of water company lands, forestry management and public lands abutting source water protection areas. Click on the links for the Meeting Minutes, Agenda and Photos of the Event.
• Workshop March 22, 2018:  The Connecticut Source Water Collaborative held a workshop to find ways to better protect Connecticut’s drinking water sources and to improve communication with local partners.  Click on the link for the Agenda. Video of the workshop and the presentations will be available in the near future. 
• Meeting April 28, 2015:  The Connecticut Source Water Collaborative met to finalize a charter for moving forward with a shared mission and vision.  Click on the links for the Meeting Minutes, Long Island Sound RCPP Summary and Draft Charter.
• Meeting - October 24, 2014 - Connecticut Source Water Collaborative Panel discussion on Public Water Source Protection Challenges and Opportunities. For meeting minutes, please click here
• Meeting - July 1, 2014  - the Connecticut Source Water Collaborative took a tour of the Bristol Water Department surface water treatment plant and the Metropolitan District Commission’s Nepaug watershed. For more information and a presentation regarding the field tours, please click here.
• Connecticut Source Water Collaborative workshop - December 4, 2013