Podcast: Where Does Connecticut's Water Come From? - Interview with Lori Mathieu, Department of Public Health (DPH), Drinking Water Section (DWS) Section Chief
In celebration of Connecticut Drinking Water Week, the Department of Public Health (DPH) Drinking Water Section is recognizing a certified water operator, an educator, and two small Public Water Systems for their outstanding contributions to the health and safety of the state’s drinking water.
Scott Bonett, Senior Associate at Hazen & Sawyer will be receiving the 2019 Educational Public Health Drinking Water Merit Award. DPH is also recognizing the distribution and treatment plant operators, of Groton Utilities, with the 2019 Certified Operator Public Health Drinking Water Merit Award. This year the DPH will be awarding the Small Community Public Health Drinking Water Merit Award to the Town of Haddam and the Woodland Summit Community Water Association of Tolland.
In recognition of National Drinking Water Week, Governor Ned Lamont has proclaimed May 5 through 11, 2019 Connecticut Drinking Water Week, encouraging residents to recognize drinking water as a precious public health resource and to help protect our source waters from pollution, to practice water conservation, and to become involved in regional and local drinking water issues.
The DPH Drinking Water Section is responsible for the administration of state and federal drinking water regulations and is dedicated to assuring the quality and adequacy of the state’s public drinking water sources. DPH provides technical assistance, education and regulatory enforcement to over 2,500 public drinking water systems, which provide drinking water to approximately 2.9 million Connecticut residents and visitors on a daily basis.
Approximately 75 percent of Connecticut’s residents are served by public drinking water systems. Individual water systems serve the remainder of the population. Most private wells are typically only tested when they are newly constructed or during real estate transactions. DPH recommends that private well owners test their well for basic indicators such as bacteria, chemicals, and other potential contaminates, to make sure their drinking water is safe.