Tylerville Water Woe Fix May Be Getting More Funding

Residents of the Tylerville section of Haddam have been drinking from bottled water for years now as they’ve been dealing with the problem of their wells contaminated by underground pollution.

But, if the odds are in Tylerville’s favor this Friday, then some further funding may be coming to help address the issue.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has placed $470,000 in state funding on the State Bond Commission’s agenda ahead of the commission’s June 21 meeting. The funding would go toward the completion of a Phase II Regional Hydrogeologic Investigation, according to a press release from state Sen. Art Linares’ website.

"At a recent town hall meeting I hosted in Haddam, a women told me she has been using bottled water for years and has been struggling to live without clean water,” Linares said. “We all have a mutual goal for Tylerville, and that’s to get a safe and reliable water system. The placement of this item on the bond commission’s agenda will help many people in Tylerville as we move toward that goal. It is much appreciated.” 

The move follows a report from The Middletown Press in January in which First Selectman Paul J. DeStefano said he was working on a preliminary program that allow clean water from Chester to flow into Tylerville.

But the funding is not a done deal. Malloy, who controls what gets allocated through the bond commission, needs to approve the expenditure before the money could be released. 

Linares, a Republican, and Rep. Phil Miller, a Democrat, said they applauded the governor’s decision to add the potential funding to the agenda.

"I have been working very hard to get better water for Tylerville for a long time," Miller said. "I am glad that I was able to help secure state funding to help the people of Tylerville continue to receive clean drinking water and I thank the governor for making this a priority of the bond commission."