Government & Politics
State Declares Public Water Supply Emergency for Darien, Nearby Communities
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With drought conditions persisting and too little precipitation forecast for the foreseeable future, Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino today signed an order declaring a temporary 30-day public water supply emergency for four Fairfield County towns served by Aquarion Water Company (AWC): Greenwich, Stamford, Darien and New Canaan. Aquarion’s water issues are also affecting several towns in nearby Westchester County, N.Y., who are also served by AWC: Rye, Ryebrook and Port Chester. DPH is working closely with the New York State Health Department and the Westchester County Health Department to ensure an adequate water supply for all seven towns. The rarely used declaration was requested by AWC to allow the company to divert water from other sources of supply to the four Connecticut towns which are facing a substantial depletion of their public water supply as a result of ongoing drought conditions. DPH, in consultation with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA), determined that the declaration was necessary to prevent further depletion of the water supply.