In celebration of Connecticut Drinking Water Week, May 7-13, the Department of Public Health (DPH) Drinking Water Section is recognizing several Connecticut water operators and water utilities for their outstanding contributions to the health and safety of the state’s drinking water.
At a ceremony held on May 2nd at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino presented Bruce Morton, Environmental Studies Program Director at Goodwin College, with the 2017 Educational Public Health Drinking Water Merit Award. Mr. Morton developed and administers the Certificate of Achievement in Water Management Program at Goodwin College.
On May 10th, DPH will recognize Victor Nigro, Jr., Vice President of Operations for Aqua Pump Company, Inc., of Stafford Springs with the 2017 Certified Operator Public Health Drinking Water Merit Award. DPH will also award two Small Community Public Health Drinking Water Merit Awards to Chadwick Homeowners Association, Inc. in Old Lyme, and the Tariffville Fire District Water Department in Tariffville.
In recognition of National Drinking Water Week, Governor Dannel P. Malloy has proclaimed May 7 through 13 Connecticut Drinking Water Week, encouraging residents to recognize drinking water as a precious public health resource and to help protect our source waters from pollution, to practice water conservation, and to become involved in regional and local drinking water issues.
The DPH Drinking Water Section is responsible for the administration of state and federal drinking water regulations and is dedicated to assuring the quality and adequacy of the state’s public drinking water sources. DPH provides technical assistance, education and regulatory enforcement to over 2,500 public drinking water systems, which provide drinking water to approximately 2.9 million Connecticut residents and visitors on a daily basis.
Approximately 75 percent of Connecticut’s residents are served by public drinking water systems. Individual water systems serve the remainder of the population. Most private wells are typically only tested when they are newly constructed or during real estate transactions. DPH recommends that private well owners test their well for basic indicators such as bacteria, chemicals, and other potential contaminants, to make sure their drinking water is safe.
For more information about public water systems and drinking water, please visit www.ct.gov/dph/drinkingwater.