Water Company Invites Public Inside Vernon Treatment Plant For Open House

VERNON, CT — Northern Connecticut residents will have a chance to see how their drinking water is treated when Connecticut Water opens its Rockville Drinking Water Treatment Facility to the public next week.

The utility will host a free open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the facility, 10 Snipsic Road in Vernon.

The Rockville plant is a surface water treatment facility and Connecticut Water's largest single source of drinking water for customers in northern Connecticut.

It provides most of the drinking water used by the company's customers in Vernon, Ellington, South Windsor, Mansfield and Tolland, according to Connecticut Water.

The facility treats water drawn from the nearby Shenipsit Lake Reservoir, which the company said has served as a major source of drinking water for the area for more than a century.

During the open house, visitors will be able to learn about the equipment and processes used to filter and treat drinking water, remove impurities and test water quality.

“An open house provides an opportunity for customers to see firsthand where their water comes from and the fascinating journey it takes to get to their homes,” Connecticut Water President Craig J. Patla said.

Visitors can arrive at any point between 1 and 3 p.m. Adults must bring a government-issued photo ID.

Because the treatment facility is an active worksite, all visitors must wear closed-toe, flat shoes, the company said.

Connecticut Water is a public water utility regulated by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

It provides water to more than 108,000 customers across 60 Connecticut communities and wastewater services to about 3,000 customers in Southbury.