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DES warns Canaan: licensed water operator missing, algae bloom could affect treatment
Summary
State DES officials told the Canaan board the town lacks a licensed primary operator for its surface-water drinking system; officials issued a significant deficiency and warned that an algae bloom at the intake could blind filters, urging the town to secure an operator and primary contact.
A DES engineer (Randy Suazo, S2) informed the board that Canaan does not have a licensed primary operator for its surface-water drinking system and that the department has issued a significant deficiency for the drinking-water operation.
Suazo said DES has had conversations with town staff and identified short-term leads but warned that obtaining a properly licensed operator typically takes 1.5 to 3 years. He said, “I was notified by 1 of my colleagues that there's there's an algae bloom in the lake. The good news is that it's not cyanobacteria related algae bloom. So it's not harmful. But it is rare at the intake and it could cause significant operational problems to your treatment system.” He added that DES needs a primary contact and phone number for the system and that, if progress is not made, the department could escalate enforcement, including a notice of violation.
Board members and staff discussed equipment upgrades for the water and wastewater plants and said they are working with consultants (Champlin Associates) on short‑ and long‑term recommendations. DES also raised related concerns: the town lacks a formal groundwater-management permit and has not filed a standard landfill‑closure permit for the old dump site—items DES said should be addressed to reduce longer‑term health and environmental risk.
