Town of Bethel
Notice of Tentative Determination to Approve an Application for a Diversion of Water Permit and Notice of Intent to Waive Public Hearing
Applicant(s): Town of Bethel
Application No.: 202505059
City/Town: Bethel, CT
The Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) hereby gives notice that a tentative determination has been reached to approve the following application for a permit to divert the waters of the state. The Commissioner also intends to waive the requirement for public hearing pursuant to Section 22a-371 of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS), provided that a hearing may be held if the Commissioner determines that the public interest will best be served thereby or shall hold a hearing upon receipt of a petition as more thoroughly described below.
Application Number: 202505059 – previous permit DIVC-201905302
Applicant’s Name and Address: Town of Bethel, 1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801
Applicant Contact Information: Thomas Villa, 203-794-8557, villat@bethel-ct.gov
Type of Permit: Water Diversion, Consumptive
Relevant statute(s)/regulation: Section 22a-365 through 22a-378 CGS
Project Description: Permit to withdraw groundwater for public water supply
Project Location: 49 Plumtrees Road, Bethel, CT 06801
Waters: Groundwater, East Swamp Brook, East Swamp
COMMISSIONER’S FINDINGS/REGULATORY CONDITIONS
The proposed activity includes the following: The withdrawal of 1.152 million gallons per day (MGD) of groundwater at a rate of 800 gallons per minute (GPM) from Bergstrom Well 1 at the Bergstrom Field Site in Bethel, CT. The proposed activity will affect the associated groundwater, East Swamp Brook, and East Swamp.
Pursuant to Section 22a-371 of the CGS, the Department has found that the application is complete and has determined that the proposed diversion 1) is necessary, 2) will not significantly affect long-range water resources management, and 3) will not impair proper management and use of the water resources of the State. Accordingly, the Commissioner hereby publishes this notice of intent to waive the requirement for a public hearing, provided if the Commissioner receives a petition requesting a hearing signed by twenty-five (25) persons on or before the deadline for receipt of written comments specified at the end of this notice, a hearing will be held. Notice of any hearing will be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the area where the proposed diversion will take place or have effect.
INFORMATION REQUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
This application has been assigned no. 202505059. Please use this number when corresponding with DEEP regarding this application. Interested persons may obtain copies of the application from the applicant at the above address. The application and supporting documentation are available for inspection at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection located at 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by contacting Melissa Mostowy. Electronic copies of the application and supporting documentation can be provided to interested persons via email. Any such requests for documents may be directed to Melissa Mostowy of the Water Planning and Management Division at 860-418-5967 or Melissa.Mostowy@ct.gov.
Before making a final decision on this application, the Commissioner shall consider written comments on the application from interested persons. Written comments on the application should be directed to Melissa Mostowy via electronic mail to Melissa.Mostowy@ct.gov no later than thirty (30) days from the publication date of this notice. Written comments may also be submitted in paper form to Melissa Mostowy at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Water Planning and Management Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106-5127. In this submittal, please identify the name of the staff assigned to the application, the permit application number and your phone number and/or email address to facilitate responses to your comments. You may contact the staff person identified in this notice with any questions you may have.
PETITIONS FOR HEARING
Petitions shall be submitted within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this public notice and should include the application number noted above and also identify a contact person to receive notifications. Petitions may also identify a person who is authorized to engage in discussions regarding the application and, if resolution is reached, withdraw the petition. Upon receipt of a petition, the Commissioner shall take action as required by relevant laws, including Public Act 25-84, which was effective upon passage in June 2025. The Office of Adjudications will accept electronically-filed petitions for hearing in addition to those submitted by mail or hand-delivered. Petitions with required signatures may be sent to deep.adjudications@ct.gov; those mailed or delivered should go to the DEEP Office of Adjudications, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. If the signed original petition is only in an electronic format, the petition must be submitted with a statement signed by the petitioner that the petition exists only in that form. Original petitions that were filed electronically must also be mailed or delivered to the Office of Adjudications within 30 days of electronic submittal. If a hearing is held, timely notice of such hearing will be published in a newspaper of general circulation and posted on the DEEP website at https://www.ct.gov/DEEP. Additional information can be found at https://www.ct.gov/deep/adjudications.
/s/Nisha Patel, P.E.
Director
Water Planning and Management Division
Bureau of Water Protection & Land Reuse
Published in The News-Times on October 30, 2025
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VI. Please contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov if you: have a disability and need a communication aid or service; have limited proficiency in English and may need information in another language; or if you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint. Any person needing a hearing accommodation may call the State of Connecticut relay number – 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.