The Newtown Water Pollution Control Authority was established as
an agency of the Town by Ordinance 56, adopted by the Legislative
Council on May 7, 1980, in accordance with Section 7-246 of the Connecticut
General Statutes, and redesignated as the Water and Sewer Authority
("WSA") by Ordinance 56A adopted by the Legislative Council on April
7, 2004.
The WSA has prepared this Water Pollution Control Plan to designate
and delineate the boundaries of areas to be served by Town sewers
and areas where sewers are to be avoided and to describe the policies
and programs to be carried out to control surface water and groundwater
pollution control problems.
The Interim Design Report by Fuss & O'Neill set out the
design parameters for the construction of the sewerage system to serve
the state and town properties in the central area of Newtown. The
treatment plant was designed and constructed for a twenty-year average
daily flow of 932,000 gallons per day, and the sewers were designed
and constructed for the ultimate forty-year average daily flow of
1,864,000 gallons per day.
The Newtown Facilities Plan of 1992 identified potential ultimate
sewer service areas in the Sandy Hook riverside communities, South
Main Street, and Taunton Pond West. These areas were dropped from
the final design when it was determined that septic repairs and controls
on future development would be a more cost-effective solution.
By agreement, the state and Town each have access to a share of the
plant capacity. As flows from either party increase to near their
allotted share of capacity, that party may request the loan of unused
plant capacity from the other to meet environmental needs until the
combined flows approach the system limits, at which time the plant
may be expanded.
A separate sewerage system was built in the Hawleyville area of the
Town to encourage economic development, not to meet environmental
needs. By agreements with the towns of Bethel and Danbury, up to 150,000
gallons per day of sewage may be pumped through Bethel to the municipal
treatment plant in Danbury.
Sewer service areas are shown on maps originally approved June
2015. Updated maps will be filed with DEEP and the Town Clerk.
All areas outside of the designated sewer service areas are sewer
avoidance areas. It is the intention of the WSA not extend sewers
into sewer avoidance areas unless recommended by the Newtown Health
District or mandated by the DEEP for environmental reasons.
Sewers may be extended into sewer avoidance areas when requested
by the Town as municipal improvements in accordance with Section 8-24
of the Connecticut General Statutes.
The WSA will continue to participate in the mandatory review process
of the Health Panel Review Panel along with members of the Health
District, Inland Wetlands, and Planning and Zoning Commission to control
activities in sewer avoidance areas that may exacerbate hydrogeologic
conditions on the site.
The date of adoption shall be deemed the effective date of this Water
Pollution Control Plan. This plan may be amended by the WSA with the
approval of the Board of Selectmen. A copy of this plan and any updates
shall be filed with the State Commissioner of Energy and Environmental
Protection.