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Metropolitan District of Connecticut

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The Metropolitan District Commission of Connecticut (MDC) is a public non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929 to provide drinking water and sewer service to the Hartford area. The original agreement tied together the water systems of Hartford, Bloomfield, Newington, Wethersfield, and Windsor.[1] The MDC currently serves eight towns in the Hartford area. The MDC is run by a 29-member board of commissioners; 17 of which are appointed by the member towns, eight by the governor, and four by legislative leaders. The current Chairman of the MDC board is William A. DiBella.[2] The current MDC headquarters is located in Downtown Hartford and was built in the late 1970’s.[3]

History

The MDC began acquiring land for the planned Barkhamsted Reservoir two and a half years before its charter was granted. in 1932 under Chairman Charles Goodwin the MDC was forced to slow its land acquisition as a result of the great depression.[4]

In the 21st century the MDC has faced criticism for opaque business practices and offering deep discounts to select industrial users without public consultation.[5] Regulators at PURA have suggested increased transparency and external audits in addition to the MDC’s own.[6]

In 2017 the MDC began work on The South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel, the largest project in the District’s history. The 18ft diameter tunnel will extend four miles at a depth of over 200ft and will carry stormwater during significant rain events, this project is the cornerstone of a larger sewer-stormwater separation project aimed at improving water quality in Wethersfield Cove, the Connecticut River, and Long Island Sound. The South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel project has an estimated budget of over $500 million dollars.[7]

Reservoirs

The Barkhamsted Reservoir was created with the completion of the Saville Dam on the Farmington River. The Barkhamsted Reservoir has a filled volume of 36.8 billion US gallons (139,000,000 m3) and is the largest impoundment on the Farmington River system.[8] The reservoir was completed in 1940 at a cost of $10 million dollars.[9] Filling the reservoir destroyed much of the town of Barkhamsted Hollow. Water from the Barkhamstead Reservoir is transferred by pipes to filtration stations in West Hartford and Bloomfield using gravity.[10]

  • Lake McDonough and Hogback Reservoir[13]

Metropolitan District Commission Police

The MDC has its own police force to enforce the law and protect its various operations. According to the MDC use of its facilities is "regulated by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (Section 24-43c of the Connecticut General Statutes) and enforced by MDC police."[14] The current Chief of Police of The MDC Police is Henry Martin.[15] In 2011 CEO Charles Sheehan stated that Metropolitan District Officers operate both in uniform and in plain clothes, and that they maintain order at the MDC’s corporate headquarters in addition to the field facilities.[16]

References

  1. ^ "History". themdc.org. Metropolitan District of Connecticut. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Board Members". themdc.org. MDC. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  3. ^ GOSSELIN, KENNETH R. "MDC Eyes Building For Hartford Headquarters Expansion". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  4. ^ Murphy, Kevin. "A Valley Flooded to Slake the Capital Region's Thirst". connecticuthistory.org. Connecticut Historical Society. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ^ Condon, Tom. "Bottling plant a wake-up call on state water". ctmirror.com. ct mirror. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  6. ^ Besthoff, Ben. "MDC Water Woes". nbcconnecticut.com. NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  7. ^ Skahill, Patrick. "Tunneling 200 Feet Underneath Connecticut For Cleaner Water, At A Cost". wnpr.org. WNPR. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  8. ^ Murphy, Kevin. "A Valley Flooded to Slake the Capital Region's Thirst". connecticuthistory.org. Connecticut Historical Society. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  9. ^ Murphy, Kevin (2010). Water for Hartford. Wesleyan University Press. pp. 234–237. ISBN 978-0-8195-7080-2.
  10. ^ McGrath, Kaitlyn. "A Look at Where MDC Gets Your Water". nbcconnecticut.com. NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  11. ^ "West Hartford Reservoirs Map" (PDF). themed.org. The Metropolitan District. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  12. ^ "The Nepaug Reservoir". newhartfordcthistory.org. New Hartford Historical Society. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  13. ^ "THE NEPAUG STORY (Burlington version)". cantonmuseum.org. The Canton Museum. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Reservoirs". themdc.com. The MDC. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  15. ^ "CHIEFS DIRECTORY". cpcanet.org. Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  16. ^ SHEEHAN, CHARLES. "Ct Consumer Complaint: MDC Layoffs Affecting Service". ctwatchdog.com. ctwatchdog.
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