New water treatment plant ensures reliable water service

East Windsor plant represents commitment to updating aging infrastructure

EAST WINDSOR, Connecticut — Feb. 22, 2024 — Connecticut Water’s new, $13.1-million Hunt Water Treatment Plant in East Windsor increases service reliability for customers, drastically reduces water lost to waste and reduces operational costs through modern building efficiencies. The project is the latest major investment by the company in its efforts to maintain and replace Connecticut’s aging water systems – some of the oldest in the nation.

Construction of the plant began in early 2021 to replace a facility built more than 50 years ago that contained aging equipment at the end of its useful life. The new plant, which filters and treats water from five area wells, began operation in September. Between 2-3 million gallons of water flow through the facility on an average day, with peak flow that could reach 3.5-4.2 million gallons during high-demand periods.

"With the new Hunt Treatment Plant, Connecticut Water customers can continue to count on high-quality water delivered to their homes for generations to come," said Connecticut Water Vice President of Engineering David Peeling, P.E. "Providing high-quality drinking water and reliable service to our customers requires continued investments to modernize aging infrastructure. We're thrilled to bring the plant online and ensure our communities have the water resources they need now and in the future."

The facility’s backwash recycling system also reduces the amount of water lost to waste when cleaning the filter system as compared to older treatment facilities, saving more than 44,000 gallons of water per cleaning–which adds up to about 500,000 gallons recycled each year. Instead of flowing to a lagoon or wastewater system, water used to clean the filters returns to the beginning of the treatment process to be treated and re-used again.

The facility uses green sand filtration in the treatment process that includes filtering iron and manganese, which are naturally occurring minerals in rocks, soil and groundwater, common in Connecticut. Filtering iron and manganese results in improved taste and water clarity.  

Modern control systems were also installed as part of the construction, to allow Connecticut Water professionals quick, easy access to monitor the treatment plant and the wells that provide water to it, as opposed to the 1970s era controls in the old plant. Our water experts can now remotely diagnose and immediately respond if the system needs attention, ensuring uninterrupted flow of quality water to our customers. 

Other building features include all LED lighting, radiant floor heating to keep heating costs down and translucent panels to allow ambient lighting in the daytime.