Water is supplied to all or portions of New Haven and the surrounding towns of East Haven, Branford, North Branford, Cheshire, Hamden, Woodbridge, Orange, West Haven, and Milford by the Regional Water Authority. The Regional Water Authority or RWA is a non-profit organization. Besides serving these 12 towns the RWA also owns land but does not supply water in 4 other towns: Guilford, Madison, Killingworth, and Prospect. It supplies about 55 million gallons of water per day to some 400,000 consumers. When water use peaks the RWA can supply up to 90 million gallons of water a day. This is done by drawing water from its system of reservoirs which can hold more than 19 billion gallons of water, as well as, wells in two towns.11
The water source for this region is nine active reservoirs and five wellfields (see map available at the RWA website). 88% of the water supplied by the RWA comes from the nine active reservoirs. The remaining 12% is pumped from wells in Cheshire and Hamden. Water flows to consumers through a network of approximately 1,600 miles of pipes, pumping stations and storage tanks. As a result of this system a neighborhood may get its water from two or more sources. In the case of New Haven the water into the city comes from Lake Galliard in North Branford, Lake Saltonstall, and the West River.12
The Regional Water Authority acquired the New Haven Water Company in 1980. At that time it became the owner of more than 25,000 acres of land stretching across the 16 towns that form the Regional Water District. The legislation which created the Authority mandates that it with “providing and assuring the provision of an adequate supply of pure water at reasonable cost … and to the degree consistent with the foregoing, of advancing the conservation and compatible recreational use of land held by the Authority.” 13
The RWA has a 17-member Representative Policy Board one from each of the area towns served. These members are appointed by the chief elected official from the town and approved by the local legislative body. The Governor also appoints one member. This board selects a five-member Authority which oversees the operation of the water. They act like the board of directors in an investor owned utility. The Representative Policy Board has also established an Office of Consumer Affairs which acts as an advocate for consumer interests with regards to matters such as rates, water quality and supply. The Authority provides the funding for this office. Both boards meet monthly. The voting power of the board is weighted so that the towns with the most customers have a larger proportion of votes. The representatives approve rate changes charged by the authority, capital projects which cost more than $1 million, the issuing of bonds, and the sale of any property. 14
