No Industrial Complex Over Our Drinking Water – Move the Department of Public Works to an alternative site; NOT the Century Brass location on 12 Scoville Street

WHO WE ARE

The Connecticut Water Coalition (CCWC) New Milford chapter is a federally registered, non-governmental, nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization. We are governed by a local board of directors with diverse professional and technical
backgrounds.
Our mission is the protection of environmental resources, with a particular focus on potable water quality—
from watershed to distribution. Our work includes environmental research, public education, and participation in state and local regulatory processes.
We are non-political and operate solely in the public interest.

THE ISSUE

The Town of New Milford is proposing to relocate its Department of Public Works (DPW) and related
industrial operations to the Century Brass site—land that sits over a state-protected aquifer and is directly
connected to a Class A watershed, one of the highest levels of drinking water protection.

This is not just another development decision.
This is about our primary drinking water source—shared by New Milford, Brookfield, and Newtown.

A CRITICAL AND SENSITIVE LOCATION

The Century Brass site lies within a hydrologically connected system that includes aquifers, wetlands, and
waterways that ultimately supply drinking water to our community.
According to the Town’s own Hazard Mitigation Plan, New Milford remains highly vulnerable to flooding,
particularly along the Housatonic River and connected tributaries such as the Aspetuck Rivers.

These natural systems are interconnected.
Anything introduced at this site has the potential to move through groundwater and surface water systems.

FLOOD PROTECTION CONSIDERATIONS

Significant resources have already been invested to remediate this site and protect water quality.

Any future use must:

• Prevent recontamination
• Account for periodic flooding
• Avoid activities that could mobilize pollutants

AN INDUSTRIAL USE ON A SENSITIVE RESOURCE

The proposed DPW complex is not a passive use. It includes:

• Fuel storage and fueling operations
• Vehicle maintenance and wash facilities
• Salt storage and road treatment materials
• Recycling and waste handling
• Heavy equipment operations

These are ongoing, high-impact activities with known risks to groundwater and surface water.

A CONTRADICTION THAT UNDERMINES PROTECTION

The community recently came together to stop the Flatiron battery storage project in order to protect this very same aquifer and watershed. Now, the Town is proposing an industrial municipal complex on that same land.

This raises a fundamental question:

If this land is too sensitive for one high-risk use,
how can it now be considered appropriate for another?
Approving this project undermines the very standard used to protect our water and opens the door for
similar projects to return.

BETTER ALTERNATIVES EXIST

Regional planning guidance matters.

The Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WESTCOG) emphasizes the importance of careful siting of industrial and critical facilities—particularly with respect to environmental sensitivity, flood risk, and
infrastructure resilience.

The Town’s own planning documents also support relocating critical facilities out of vulnerable areas—not
into them.

Safer, more appropriate alternative locations exist and must be fully evaluated.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is the wrong use in the wrong place:

• A state-protected aquifer
• A connected watershed
• A site with documented environmental history
• A location already deemed too sensitive for similar risk
Once contamination occurs, there is no reversing it.

OUR POSITION

We support the Department of Public Works.
We do not support placing it on our drinking water supply.

CALL TO ACTION

We urge the Town of New Milford to:
• Halt plans to relocate the DPW to the Century Brass site
• Identify and evaluate safer alternative locations
• Prioritize long-term protection of our drinking water

Protect our water. Protect our future.