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News Release

Information: Matt Nozzolio
(860) 278-7850, ext. 3209
February 13, 2002

MDC Encourages Customers to be Water Wise;
New Britain to Pump Water from MDC’s Nepaug Reservoir

HARTFORD – The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) is reminding its customers to use water wisely and to fix any plumbing leaks during this unusually dry period to help ensure that a plentiful supply of water is available in the peak demand periods of spring and summer.

Meanwhile, the City of New Britain Water Department has notified the MDC that the city will exercise its right to withdraw water from the Nepaug Reservoir.

MDC’s reservoirs are filled to about 75 percent of their approximately 40-billion-gallon capacity, and the MDC is fully capable of meeting current and expected demand.

However, with little rain and snowpack to the north, which refills the MDC’s reservoirs, there is concern that the reservoir levels could be below normal levels when water consumption increases in the spring and summer.

“It makes good sense not to be wasteful. Wise use also helps to ensure that storage tanks located throughout the distribution system have enough water in case of an emergency,” said Anthony V. Milano, MDC Chief Executive Officer.

Here are some water-saving tips:

1. Repair leaky toilets. A toilet that runs constantly can waste up to 100,000 gallons of water per month.

2. Fix leaky faucets. A fast leak can waste up to 600 gallons per month.

3. Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.

4. When planning your lawn and garden, consider the use of creative landscaping that minimizes the use of water. The MDC has a brochure that can help you put this practice, called xeriscape, in practice. The brochure includes information on plants that do well in Connecticut during the dry summer without requiring heavy watering.

To request the brochure, call the MDC at 860-278-7850, ext. 3209. Tips on saving water may also be found at the MDC’s website, www.themdc.com, or by calling the Water Conservation Hotline at 278-7850, ext. 3222.

Under the MDC Charter, the MDC must furnish untreated water to New Britain upon request. The City Water Department notified the MDC of its intent to draw up to 10 million gallons per day beginning February 19, and continuing for the next three months.

The last time New Britain exercised this option was in the December 1965, when drought conditions also existed.

After the high-consumption period in the summer of 1999, the MDC undertook several steps to improve the capacity to bring water from the reservoirs through the treatment process and into the distribution system:

The 48-inch diameter concrete pipeline from Barkhamsted Reservoir to Reservoir 6 in Bloomfield was cleaned, increasing the capability to deliver water from the reservoir to the water treatment plants;
The 30-inch diameter concrete pipeline from Reservoir 6 to Reservoir 5 in West Hartford was cleaned, increasing the capability of moving water from Reservoir 6 to the West Hartford Water Treatment Plant;
An old 24-inch diameter tile pipeline from Reservoir 6 to Reservoir 5 was cleaned, increasing the flow of water from Reservoir 6 to the West Hartford plant;
The process of reconditioning the slow-sand filters at West Hartford was accelerated;
A water main in Glastonbury was constructed, strengthening the distribution system in East and South Glastonbury and providing more reliable service to the Town of Portland.

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A non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929, the MDC supplies water and sewer services to its eight member municipalities: Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor. The MDC also supplies treated water to the Town of Portland and portions of Glastonbury, East Granby, South Windsor and Farmington.

The MDC also operates two hydroelectric facilities and, under contract to the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, the waste processing portion of the Mid-Connecticut trash-to-energy project. Information about the MDC can be found on its web site, www.themdc.com.

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