HARTFORD, Conn. – Customers in the towns served by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) will soon be notified by mail that their drinking water comfortably meets all state and federal standards for drinking water.

The annual Water Quality Report, which covers the year 2002, is mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996. The MDC is mailing the report to all households in the MDC’s service area; even to those that do not receive a bill (such as renters).

“We are very pleased with the report, and are proud of the fact that, once again, the MDC continues to meet or better every standard for safe drinking water,” said MDC  Chairman Albert F. Reichin. “A special feature of this year’s report details the work that the MDC and its staff do to protect the watershed, which is the first step in providing clean, clear drinking water.”

For example, in 2002, the MDC’s watershed inspector conducted more than 1,100 inspections of residences, business and farms on the Barkhamsted and Nepaug reservoir watersheds. The inspector checked laundry discharges, septic systems, heating oil tanks, floor drains in workshops and garages and other areas.

The Water Quality Report also is being distributed to community and educational groups, and is also available to any consumer, free of charge. It also is available on the web at www.themdc.com. To request a copy of the report, please call 860-278-7850, ext. 3209. A Spanish language version is available.

MDC water meets or is better than all state and federal drinking water standards. The Water Quality Report describes the source of the MDC water (the Barkhamsted and Nepaug reservoirs); the treatment and testing techniques and a list of substances detected in the water.

Each year, the MDC conducts more than 100,000 tests on water obtained from reservoirs, treatment plants and sampling sites throughout the District.  The tests are performed to justify that the drinking water is of the highest quality possible.

In 2002, the MDC distributed an average of 63.67 million gallons of water per day, compared to 59.52 million gallons in 2001, to a population of more than 380,000.

Among the major projects designed to continue the MDC’s tradition of delivering the highest quality of water possible were: increased security patrols, enhanced security measures, and water quality testing to ensure continued service to the public; and continued upgrade of electrical systems at the West Hartford and Reservoir 6 water filtration plants.

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.

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