Sec. 25-43c. Permitted recreation in watersheds and reservoirs.
Sec. 25-43c. Permitted recreation in watersheds and reservoirs. (a) Sport fishing from designated locations on shoreline or from boats propelled by oars or by electric
motors with sealed storage batteries on public water supply storage and distribution
reservoirs, as defined in subsection (a) of section 25-43, or aquifer protection areas as
mapped pursuant to section 22a-354c, and additional recreational activities subject to
the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, within designated areas of the watersheds
of such reservoirs or aquifer protection areas may be permitted by a water company, as
defined in section 25-32a, in accordance with rules made by such water company after
consultation with the Commissioner of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Protection.
(b) The Commissioner of Public Health, upon application by a water company,
may issue to such company a permit authorizing recreational activities on storage and
distribution reservoirs or aquifer protection areas. Any person who engages in any recreational activity which involves the use of a boat on reservoirs which are wholly owned
by a water company shall use boats owned by said water company. If, in the opinion of
the commissioner, the proposed recreational activities may have a significant adverse
impact upon the applicant's water supply, said commissioner may, within thirty days
of receipt of a complete permit application, refer such application for detailed review
to a consultant, chosen by the commissioner, with skills in the fields of water supply,
hydrology, aquatic biology, forestry, geology, planning or other related fields, whose
fee shall be paid by the applicant. The commissioner shall notify the applicant of such
referral. The permit shall be issued subject to any terms or conditions the commissioner
deems necessary to maintain the purity of the water in such storage and distribution
reservoirs or aquifer protection areas. The commissioner may approve the use of electric
motors with sealed storage batteries in a storage or distribution reservoir with an existing
approved fishing program, provided such reservoir has conventional filtration treatment
and is adequately supervised at all times when electric motors are in use, subject to
monitoring, inspection and reporting by the water company satisfactory to the commissioner. The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of
chapter 54 establishing criteria for such recreational activities on storage and distribution
reservoirs or aquifer protection areas and for monitoring the water quality thereof. The
Commissioner of Public Health shall prohibit fishing and recreational activities in those
cases where treatment facilities are deemed inadequate by the commissioner to properly
safeguard the health of persons drinking the water.
(c) Water companies are empowered, after consultation with the Department of
Environmental Protection, to issue permits and to charge fees for the issuance of such
permits in order to reimburse such companies for the cost to them of such fishing and
other recreational activities in public water supply storage and distribution reservoirs
and on the watersheds of such public water supply storage and distribution reservoirs
or within aquifer protection areas.
(d) All public water supply reservoirs constructed on or after January 1, 1975, except
for such reservoirs as may be under construction before January 1, 1975, shall have
such water treatment or purification facilities as the Commissioner of Public Health
determines are necessary to assure the purity of the water supplies from sources in such
reservoirs in which sport fishing is permitted or in watersheds of such reservoirs in
which such recreational activities are permitted as provided in this section, provided
nothing in this section shall be deemed to permit any recreational use of an existing
reservoir or of the watershed land of such reservoir which use would require the installation of new water treatment or purification facilities.
(e) No water company shall be liable in damages except with respect to wilful or
wanton conduct for injury or property damage to any person who enters upon its lands
or waters under the provisions of this section.
(P.A. 73-522, S. 1-4; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 84-28; 84-546, S. 140, 173; P.A.
90-292, S. 3; P.A. 91-287, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2, S. 66.)
History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced commissioner of health with commissioner of health services, effective
January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-28 applied provisions of section to distribution reservoirs as well as storage reservoirs, added
provisions re permits for recreational activities on reservoirs and created Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c) from previous Subsecs.
(a) and (b); P.A. 84-546 made technical changes, relettering former Subsecs. (c) and (d) as (d) and (e) in keeping with P.A.
84-28; P.A. 90-292 amended Subsec. (b) to allow the commissioner to refer an application to a consultant within 30 days
of receipt, require the applicant to pay the fee and to require notification to the applicant of such referral; P.A. 91-287
amended Subsec. (a) to include boats powered by electric motors with sealed storage batteries and amended Subsec. (b)
to include certain restrictions on the use of boats with electric motors; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services
with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; 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; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2 added references to aquifer protection areas.