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The Shepaug River

Judge Orders Waterbury To
Release More Water Into River

The Associated Press
February 16, 2000

WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) A Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the city of Waterbury to release more water into the Shepaug River in a dispute that pitted the city against environmentalists and two rural towns, officials said.

"I am very ecstatic and very pleased," said Roxbury First Selectman Barbara Henry. "I think it is a victory for the Shepaug River Association and for all the people who knew all along that there is plenty of water for everyone."

Conservationists from Roxbury and Washington sued the city in 1997, saying Waterbury does not release enough water into the Shepaug River from an upstream watershed.

The lawsuit claimed that the city's actions affect the river, especially in the summer when it dries to a trickle in some places. The river runs through the towns of Warren, Washington and Roxbury before it empties into the Housatonic River.

The city diverts water from the Shepaug watershed and pipes it to a reservoir system closer to Waterbury. Without the Shepaug water, the city would have to impose severe water restrictions in the summer, city attorneys have said.

The city releases between 1.5 million and 5 million gallons of water into the river each day, Henry said.

Judge Beverly Hodgson ordered Waterbury to release 34.3 million gallons a day in May, 13.8 million gallons per day in June, 7.6 million in July, 6.5 million in August, 6.1 million in September and 9.8 million on October, Henry said.

"It was a fight that was well worth fighting," she said. "I think the river is going to be much better off than when we started."

Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano said he was satisfied with the decision. He said the city had offered a settlement that would have put even more water back in the river.

"She also indicated that in extreme drought conditions those numbers would not be required, and that was very important," he said.