Fenton River, Connecticut

Status: Completed

Long-Term Impact Analysis of UConn's Water Supply Wells on the Aquatic Habitat of the Fenton River
Final report: Fenton River

Sponsored by the University of Connecticut

As part of a satisfactory finding by the State of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and the UConn's Environmental Impact Evaluation for the North Campus Master Plan, it is required that UConn conduct a study to evaluate water withdrawals from the Fenton River water supply wells that are located on the university campus. This study will focus on the impact of the wells and their effect on the aquatic habitat of the Fenton River. UConn withdraws water using water supply wells placed in a stratified drift aquifer located along a one-mile section of the Fenton River. The four Fenton River wells are registered by CTDEP for a maximum withdrawal rate of 0.8443 million gallons per day, MGD (1.31 cubic feet per second, cfs). As part of the impact assessment of UConn's water use, the University study team including NEIHP investigated the relationships between fish habitat and instream flow for a section of the Fenton River from Old Turnpike Road to Mansfield Hollow Lake. In this work, an interdisciplinary approach to assessing the effects of groundwater extraction on aquatic fauna (brown trout, tessellated darter, and fallfish) is applied. The study design addressed the interactive components of longitudinal, vertical and temporal connectivity, emphasizes the interaction of biology, and ground and surface water hydrology. The development of a simulated discharge time series and quantification of the degree of effect of groundwater extraction on discharge were central to defining a water management strategy to minimize deviations in intra- and inter-annual habitat availability. Applying species specific and community habitat thresholds (common, critical and rare) and corresponding maximum durations as fixed flow rules would have avoided the habitat depletion events observed in the summer of 2005. Implementation of these rules involves adjusting groundwater extraction rates based on the magnitude and duration of daily discharge.