The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection on Tuesday granted tentative approval of UConn’s plan to divert 1.2 million gallons of water from Tolland to support the university’s growth in Mansfield.
DEEP issued the notice of tentative determination to UConn and its partner utility Connecticut Water to transport the water along a five-mile pipeline from CT Water’s reservoir at Lake Shenipsit in Tolland.
In making its ruling, DEEP determined the water diversion was necessary, will not significantly impact long-range water resources management, or hurt the state’s water resources.
The permit will last 25 years. CT Water cannot provide more than 1.185 million gallons of water to UConn in one day and must average below 1.18 million gallons per day. UConn, in the application filed in April, said it expects to use considerably less at the beginning.
DEEP will take public comments on this draft decision until it issues its final ruling sometime early next year.
