Sec. 25-32. Department of Public Health jurisdiction over and duties concerning water supplies, water companies and operators of water treatment plants and water distribution systems.
Sec. 25-32. Department of Public Health jurisdiction over and duties concerning water supplies, water companies and operators of water treatment plants and
water distribution systems. (a) The Department of Public Health shall have jurisdiction
over all matters concerning the purity and adequacy of any water supply source used
by any municipality, public institution or water company for obtaining water, the safety
of any distributing plant and system for public health purposes, the adequacy of methods
used to assure water purity, and such other matters relating to the construction and
operation of such distributing plant and system as may affect public health.
(b) No water company shall sell, lease, assign or otherwise dispose of or change
the use of any watershed lands, except as provided in section 25-43c, without a written
permit from the Commissioner of Public Health. The commissioner shall not grant a
permit for the sale, lease or assignment of class I land, except as provided in subsection
(d) of this section, and shall not grant a permit for a change in use of class I land unless
the applicant demonstrates that such change will not have a significant adverse impact
upon the present and future purity and adequacy of the public drinking water supply
and is consistent with any water supply plan filed and approved pursuant to section 25-32d. The commissioner may reclassify class I land only upon determination that such
land no longer meets the criteria established by subsection (a) of section 25-37c because
of abandonment of a water supply source or a physical change in the watershed boundary.
Not more than fifteen days before filing an application for a permit under this section, the
applicant shall provide notice of such intent, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to
the chief executive officer and the chief elected official of each municipality in which
the land is situated.
(c) The commissioner may grant a permit for the sale, lease, assignment or change
in use of any land in class II subject to any conditions or restrictions in use which the
commissioner may deem necessary to maintain the purity and adequacy of the public
drinking water supply, giving due consideration to: (1) The creation and control of point
or nonpoint sources of contamination; (2) the disturbance of ground vegetation; (3) the
creation and control of subsurface sewage disposal systems; (4) the degree of water
treatment provided; (5) the control of watershed land by the applicant through ownership, easements or use restrictions or other water supply source protection measures;
(6) the effect of development of any such land; and (7) any other significant potential
source of contamination of the public drinking water supply. The commissioner may
grant a permit for the sale, lease or assignment of class II land to another water company,
municipality or nonprofit land conservation organization provided, as a condition of
approval, a permanent conservation easement on the land is entered into to preserve the
land in perpetuity predominantly in its natural scenic and open condition for the protection of natural resources and public water supplies while allowing for recreation consistent with such protection and improvements necessary for the protection or provision of
safe and adequate potable water. Preservation in perpetuity shall not include permission
for the land to be developed for any commercial, residential or industrial uses, nor
shall it include permission for recreational purposes requiring intense development,
including, but not limited to, golf courses, driving ranges, tennis courts, ballfields, swimming pools and uses by motorized vehicles other than vehicles needed by water companies to carry out their purposes, provided trails or pathways for pedestrians, motorized
wheelchairs or nonmotorized vehicles shall not be considered intense development. The
commissioner may reclassify class II land only upon determination that such land no
longer meets the criteria established by subsection (b) of section 25-37c because of
abandonment of a water supply source or a physical change in the watershed boundary.
(d) The commissioner may grant a permit for (1) the sale of class I or II land to
another water company, to a state agency or to a municipality, (2) the sale of class II
land or the sale or assignment of a conservation restriction or a public access easement
on class I or class II land to a private, nonprofit land-holding conservation organization,
or (3) the sale of class I land to a private nonprofit land-holding conservation organization
if the water company is denied a permit to abandon a source not in current use or needed
by the water company pursuant to subsection (c) of section 25-33k, if the purchasing
entity agrees to maintain the land subject to the provisions of this section, any regulations
adopted pursuant to this section and the terms of any permit issued pursuant to this
section. Such purchasing entity or assignee may not sell, lease or assign any such land
or conservation restriction or public access easement or sell, lease, assign or change the
use of such land without obtaining a permit pursuant to this section.
(e) The commissioner shall not grant a permit for the sale, lease, assignment or
change in use of any land in class II unless (1) the land in class II is being sold, leased
or assigned as part of a larger parcel of land also containing land in class III and use
restrictions applicable to the land in class II will prevent the land in class II from being
developed, (2) the applicant demonstrates that the proposed sale, lease, assignment or
change in use will not have a significant adverse impact upon the purity and adequacy
of the public drinking water supply and that any use restrictions which the commissioner
requires as a condition of granting a permit can be enforced against subsequent owners,
lessees and assignees, (3) the commissioner determines, after giving effect to any use
restrictions which may be required as a condition of granting the permit, that such proposed sale, lease, assignment or change in use will not have a significant adverse effect
on the public drinking water supply, whether or not similar permits have been granted,
and (4) on or after January 1, 2003, as a condition to the sale, lease or assignment of
any class II lands, a permanent conservation easement on the land is entered into to
preserve the land in perpetuity predominantly in its natural scenic and open condition
for the protection of natural resources and public water supplies while allowing for
recreation consistent with such protection and improvements necessary for the protection or provision of safe and adequate potable water, except in cases where the class II
land is deemed necessary to provide access or egress to a parcel of class III land, as
defined in section 25-37c, that is approved for sale. Preservation in perpetuity shall
not include permission for the land to be developed for any commercial, residential or
industrial uses, nor shall it include permission for recreational purposes requiring intense
development, including, but not limited to, golf courses, driving ranges, tennis courts,
ballfields, swimming pools and uses by motorized vehicles other than vehicles needed by
water companies to carry out their purposes, provided trails or pathways for pedestrians,
motorized wheelchairs or nonmotorized vehicles shall not be considered intense development.
(f) Nothing in this section shall prevent the lease or change in use of water company
land to allow for recreational purposes that do not require intense development or improvements for water supply purposes, for leases of existing structures, or for radio
towers or telecommunications antennas on existing structures. For purposes of this subsection, intense development includes golf courses, driving ranges, tennis courts, ballfields, swimming pools and uses by motorized vehicles, provided trails or pathways for
pedestrians, motorized wheelchairs or nonmotorized vehicles shall not be considered
intense development.
(g) As used in this section, (1) "water supply source" includes all springs, streams,
watercourses, brooks, rivers, lakes, ponds, wells or underground waters from which
water is taken, and all springs, streams, watercourses, brooks, rivers, lakes, ponds, wells
or aquifer protection areas, as defined in section 22a-354h, thereto and all lands drained
thereby; and (2) "watershed land" means land from which water drains into a public
drinking water supply.
(h) The commissioner shall adopt and from time to time may amend the following:
(1) Physical, chemical, radiological and microbiological standards for the quality of
public drinking water; (2) minimum treatment methods, taking into account the costs
of such methods, required for all sources of drinking water, including guidelines for the
design and operation of treatment works and water sources, which guidelines shall serve
as the basis for approval of local water supply plans by the commissioner; (3) minimum
standards to assure the long-term purity and adequacy of the public drinking water
supply to all residents of this state; and (4) classifications of water treatment plants and
water distribution systems which treat or supply water used or intended for use by the
public. On or after October 1, 1975, any water company which requests approval of any
drinking water source shall provide for such treatment methods as specified by the
commissioner, provided any water company in operation prior to October 1, 1975, and
having such source shall comply with regulations adopted by the commissioner, in
accordance with chapter 54, in conformance with The Safe Drinking Water Act, Public
Law 93-523, and shall submit on or before February 1, 1976, a statement of intent to
provide for treatment methods as specified by the commissioner, to the commissioner
for approval. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54,
requiring water companies to report elevated levels of copper in public drinking water.
(i) The department may perform the collection and testing of water samples required
by regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section, in accordance with
chapter 54, when requested to do so by a water company. The department shall collect
a fee equal to the cost of such collection and testing. Water companies serving one
thousand or more persons shall not request routine bacteriological or physical tests under
this subsection.
(j) The condemnation by a state department, institution or agency of any land owned
by a water company shall be subject to the provisions of this section.
(k) The commissioner may issue an order declaring a moratorium on the expansion
or addition to any existing public water system that the commissioner deems incapable
of providing new services with a pure and adequate water supply.
(l) The commissioner may issue, modify or revoke orders as needed to carry out
the provisions of this part. Except as otherwise provided in this part, such order shall
be issued, modified or revoked in accordance with procedures set forth in subsection
(b) of section 25-34.
(m) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions
of chapter 54, to include local health departments in the notification process when a
water utility reports a water quality problem.
(n) (1) On and after the effective date of regulations adopted under this subsection,
no person may operate any water treatment plant or water distribution system that treats
or supplies water used or intended for use by the public, test any backflow prevention
device, or perform a cross connection survey without a certificate issued by the commissioner under this subsection. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance
with chapter 54, to provide: (A) Standards for the operation of such water treatment
plants and water distribution systems; (B) standards and procedures for the issuance of
certificates to operators of such water treatment plants and water distribution systems;
(C) procedures for the renewal of such certificates every three years; (D) standards for
training required for the issuance or renewal of a certificate; and (E) standards and
procedures for the issuance and renewal of certificates to persons who test backflow
prevention devices or perform cross connection surveys. Such regulations shall be consistent with applicable federal law and guidelines for operator certification programs
promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and shall be
adopted and filed with the Secretary of the State pursuant to section 4-172 not later than
February 1, 2001.
(2) The commissioner may take any disciplinary action set forth in section 19a-17,
except for the assessment of a civil penalty under subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of
section 19a-17, against an operator, a person who tests backflow prevention devices or
a person who performs cross connection surveys holding a certificate issued under this
subsection for any of the following reasons: (A) Fraud or material deception in procuring
a certificate, the renewal of a certificate or the reinstatement of a certificate; (B) fraud
or material deception in the performance of the certified operator's professional activities; (C) incompetent, negligent or illegal performance of the certified operator's professional activities; (D) conviction of the certified operator for a felony; or (E) failure of
the certified operator to complete the training required under subdivision (1) of this
subsection.
(o) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of
chapter 54, that incorporate by reference the provisions of the federal National Primary
Drinking Water Regulations in 40 C.F.R. Parts 141 and 142, promulgated by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency, provided such regulations (1) are consistent
with other regulations adopted pursuant to this section, and (2) explicitly incorporate
any future amendments to said federal regulations.
(1949 Rev., S. 4015; 1967, P.A. 691, S. 2; P.A. 74-303, S. 1; P.A. 75-513, S. 1, 5; P.A. 76-268; P.A. 77-606, S. 4, 10;
77-614, S. 323, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 71, 85, 136; P.A. 79-192; 79-522, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-472, S. 139, 159; P.A. 85-336, S. 1, 6; P.A. 88-172, S. 3; 88-354, S. 4; P.A. 89-301, S. 3; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-211, S. 1; 95-257, S. 12, 21,
58; 95-329, S. 1, 31; P.A. 96-100, S. 2; P.A. 97-304, S. 21, 31; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2, S. 63; P.A. 00-90, S. 1, 3; 00-203, S. 7, 11; P.A. 01-204, S. 4, 29; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 73, 131; P.A. 03-252, S. 15; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S.
45; P.A. 06-53, S. 3.)
History: 1967 act gave health department jurisdiction over adequacy of water and ice supplies, safety of distributing
plants and systems, adequacy of methods used to assure water purity, etc.; P.A. 74-303 made previous provisions Subsecs.
(a) and (c), added new Subsec. (b) re disposition or change in use of any watershed land and defined the term "watershed
land" in Subsec. (c); P.A. 75-513 added Subsec. (d) re physical, chemical and bacteriological standards for drinking water
supplies; P.A. 76-268 added Subsec. (e) authorizing health department to collect and test water samples; P.A. 77-606
amended Subsec. (b) to specifically require "written permit" rather than "prior approval" and to replace provisions detailing
procedure for disposition or use change with provisions for such disposition or use change of Class I land, inserted new
Subsecs. (c) and (d) re provision for disposition or use change of Class II land, relettering remaining Subsecs. accordingly
and added Subsec. (f)(3) (formerly Subsec. (d)), requiring standards to assure long-term adequacy of drinking water
supplies; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner and department of health with commissioner and department of health
services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-303 deleted references to abolished public health council in Subsec. (f),
substituting commissioner of health services; P.A. 79-192 added Subsec. (h) re condemnation of land; P.A. 79-522 rephrased reference to water treatment plants and distribution systems and added reference to regulations adopted by commissioner in accordance with chapter 54 under Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (f)(4) requiring classification of treatment
plants and distribution systems; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 85-336 amended Subsec. (b) by authorizing
reclassification of class I land, amended Subsec. (c) by authorizing reclassification of class II land, inserted new Subsec.
(d) to require a permit for the sale of class I or II land and relettered the remaining subsections; P.A. 88-172 added Subsec.
(j) re moratoriums; P.A. 88-354 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring applicant to provide notice to municipal officials not
more than 15 days before filing an application; P.A. 89-301 aded Subsec. (c)(5) requiring commissioner to consider the
incremental effect of development in his decision and renumbering the remaining Subdiv. accordingly and amended Subsec.
(e) to require determination that public drinking water supply would suffer no harm from sale, lease, assignment or change
in use of land; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner
of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-211 added new Subsec. (c)(5) re control of watershed
land, relettering remaining Subdivs. accordingly and deleting in Subdiv. (6) the requirement that the effect of development
be "incremental", added new Subsec. (e)(1) re class II and III land, renumbering the remaining Subdivs. and adding to
Subdiv. (3) the requirement that the commissioner give effect to any use restrictions that may be required as a condition
of granting the permit and replacing "harm" with "have a significant adverse effect on"; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner
and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective
July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-329 added Subsec. (k) re orders by the commissioner, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-100 added
Subsec. (l) concerning regulations re local health department notification; P.A. 97-304 amended Subsec. (d) to allow
commissioner to grant a permit for the sale of class I or II land to a state agency, effective July 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess.
P.A. 99-2 deleted reference to ice, added "aquifer protection areas" and made technical changes; P.A. 00-90 made technical
changes in Subsecs. (a), (b), (c), (f), (g), (h), (k) and (l), amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re qualifications of
operators of water treatment plants and water distribution systems, amended Subsec. (g) by adding provisions requiring
regulations re the reporting of elevated levels of copper in public drinking water, and added new Subsec. (m) re operators
of water treatment plants and water distribution systems, effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 00-203 amended Subsec. (c) by
adding provision re sale, lease or assignment of class II land to another water company, municipality or nonprofit land
conservation organization, added Subsec. (e)(4) re sale, lease or assignment of class II land on or after January 1, 2003,
and made articles separating Subdivs. "and" instead of "or", inserted new Subsec. (f) re using land for recreational purposes,
and redesignated former Subsecs. (f) to (m), inclusive, as Subsecs. (g) to (n), inclusive, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-204 amended Subsec. (d) to allow the commissioner to grant a permit for the sale of class II land or the sale or assignment
of a conservation restriction or a public access easement on class I or class II land to a private, nonprofit land-holding
conservation organization, and to prohibit such purchasing entity or assignee from selling, leasing, or assigning any such
land or conservation restriction or public access easement or from selling, leasing, assigning or changing the use of such
land without obtaining a permit pursuant to the section, effective July 11, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective
date of P.A. 01-204 but without affecting this section; P.A. 03-252 amended Subsec. (n) by adding provisions re jurisdiction
over persons who test backflow prevention devices or perform cross connection surveys and making a technical change;
May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 added Subsec. (d)(3) re sale of land to a private nonprofit land-holding conservation organization;
P.A. 06-53 added Subsec. (o) authorizing Commissioner of Public Health to adopt regulations that incorporate by reference
federal drinking water regulations.
See Secs. 25-37a to 25-37g, inclusive, re regulation of water companies' lands.
Cited. 201 C. 592.