Connecticut Water Buys Shenipsit Tract From Farm For $1.3 Million

TOLLAND, CT — Connecticut Water Co. has acquired a huge tract of land in the Shenipsit Lake watershed from an area dairy farm for $1.3 million.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Connecticut Water and Oakridge Dairy. Oakridge is based in Ellington, but has been using the land to grow hay to feed its herd of cows.

Shenipsit Lake is a reservoir considered a "vital public water source for north-central Connecticut." The acquisition is believed to be among the largest water utility watershed land purchases in the state in decades, according to water company officials.

Oakridge, the largest dairy farm in the state, will be permitted to maintain its hay operations on the land for at least another 10 years, according to the announcement.

( Connwood Foresters/Connecticut Water)

"Water utilities have long been encouraged to secure watershed lands to protect their drinking water supplies, particularly properties in close proximity to a water supply source," Connecticut Water president Maureen P. Westbrook said.

The utility already owns nearly 6,500 acres of land for source protection across the state.

"The purchase of this property further demonstrates Connecticut Water’s commitment to public health and the protection of its public water supplies," Westborook added. "As we joined with San Jose Water, they shared the same priority for the protection of water resources and preservation of open space lands and supported this significant investment.”

Oakridge president Seth Bahler said, "This is a great opportunity. The sale of 154 acres of Lake Shenipsit Reservoir watershed land will allow the property to be preserved as open space agricultural land while being managed to protect water quality in the Lake Shenipsit Reservoir, and the proceeds of the sale will support the long-term viability of our farm in Ellington.”

The purchase also aligns with the town of Tolland’s existing agricultural conservation easement established on the property in 2006 and is consistent with the town’s plan of conservation and development.

Under Connecticut Water ownership, the property will be subject to stringent Connecticut Department of Public Health land-use controls to protect the water quality of the public water supply, utility officials said.

The Shenipsit Lake Reservoir is located in parts of Ellington, Tolland and Vernon. It is the largest reservoir in north-central Connecticut and is the primary source of drinking water for Connecticut Water customers in Ellington, Mansfield, South Windsor, Tolland, and Vernon.

Water from "The Snip" is filtered and treated at Connecticut Water's Rockville Drinking Water Treatment Facility in Vernon, a state-of-the art plant that went online in May 2017. The property is adjacent to an existing hiking trail that is part of the company’s Shenipsit Lake Recreation Program and a Connecticut Forest and Parks Association Blue-Blazed Trail.

CT Water's Shenipsit plant in Vernon (Chris Dehnel/Patch)

Westbrook, who started her career at Connecticut Water in source water protection, noted that the company believes in a multibarrier approach to protecting water quality. Protecting watersheds ensures high-quality source water, which requires less treatment before it is delivered to customers as clean, safe drinking water.

Connecticut Water and Oakridge Farm signed a purchase-and-sale agreement in June, and the $1.3 million sale was completed Wednesday.

Connecticut Water provides water service to more than 105,000 customers in 59 Connecticut towns and wastewater services to 3,000 customers in the town of Southbury, Connecticut.

Oakridge Dairy was founded in the late 1890s.