General Assembly Raised Bill No. 300
February Session, 2016 LCO No. 1900
*01900_______PH_*
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 300
February Session, 2016
LCO No. 1900
*01900_______PH_*
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING NEW BRITAIN WATER COMPANY LAND.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 474 of the general statutes or the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, the city of New Britain may change the use of its water company owned class I and class II lands to allow for the lease of approximately 131.4 acres, more specifically described as 0 Biddle Pass in the town of Plainville, provided such lease is part of a contract to which the city of New Britain is a party and the contract includes provisions to accomplish the following:
(1) The lease and subsequent use of such land effectuates an increase in the future safe yield of a pure and adequate supply of drinking water for the city of New Britain and the surrounding area served by the city;
(2) By the conclusion of the lease, the person or entity to which such land is leased prepares the site for a public drinking water reservoir that is capable of supplying an adequate safe yield of public drinking water consistent with the most recently approved water supply plan, and the surrounding land for reforestation;
(3) The extraction of stone or other material from such land or any adjacent land is a sufficient distance from residential homes as to prevent unreasonable disruption of residential use;
(4) Such lease is for a term of forty years or less; and
(5) Any conveyance of land immediately adjacent to the 131.4 acres, more specifically described as 0 Biddle Pass in the town of Plainville, shall contain appropriate deed restrictions sufficient to maintain a forested buffer of not less than 1,000 feet measured from the quarry zone line.
(b) The contract authorized by subsection (a) of this section shall not be executed by the city of New Britain until the mayor of the city of New Britain has proposed said lease and contract to the Common Council of said city with a recommendation to the Common Council for approval of the lease and contract. Said Common Council shall not consider such proposal until such time as all appropriate authorities in the city of New Britain and the town of Plainville have approved the proposed use of said land.
(c) Prior to the commencement of any activities on the approximately 131.4 acres, more specifically described as 0 Biddle Pass in the town of Plainville, and subsequent to the lessee receiving all necessary federal, state and municipal approvals to commence extraction or reservoir development activities on such site, the lessee shall obtain deed restrictions for a minimum of twice the acreage that has been approved for extraction activities, which restrictions (1) prohibit the use and development of such acreage adjacent to such site for anything other than open space purposes, (2) permanently dedicate such acreage for land uses such as public parks or forests or natural areas, including, but not limited to, reservoirs, (3) require such acreage to be preserved predominantly in its natural scenic and open space condition that may allow for camping, hiking, forestry, fishing, wildlife or natural resource conservation, and (4) prohibit all other building or development except as may be required for source protection and to meet water quality standards, if used as a public water supply. In the event that the maximum amount of acreage on the site is approved for mineral extraction, such acreage restricted under this section shall include a minimum of seventy-five acres adjacent to the site and located in the town of Southington and, if requested by the town of Southington, shall be deeded to the town at no cost to the town; a minimum of ninety-four acres adjacent to the site and located in the town of Plainville and, if requested by the town of Plainville, shall be deeded to the town at no cost to the town; and a minimum of ninety-four acres adjacent to the site and located in the city of New Britain, inclusive of the reservoir and, if requested by the city of New Britain, shall be deeded to the city at no cost to the city.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To allow the city of New Britain to change the use of its water company owned lands.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]