Bill Dombos
Farmington Valley Watershed Association
Phil Ferrari introduced Bill Dombos, executive director of the Farmington Valley Watershed Association (FVWA) which was founded in 1953. A University of Michigan law school alumnus, and seasoned environmental advocate, Mr. Dombos was previously the advocacy director for the Acadia Center in Maine, and now lives in West Hartford, with his wife and 2 daughters, ages 5 and 3.
Mr. Dombas defined a watershed as "where the water flows", or as an area of land that drains to a single outlet. The Farmington River begins in Massachusetts where it joins the Connecticut River before flowing to Long Island sound. Its tributaries vary greatly in size.
Mr. Dombas engaged the audience in a fun quiz revealing in the process various Farmington River facts: The Farmington River watershed is 81 miles in length, the land area of the watershed is 609 square miles, almost half the size of Rhode Island and 1/6 to 1/7 of onnecticut's land area. The number of people getting their drinking water from it is approximately 500,000, with 33 towns included; 10 in Massachusetts and 23 in Connecticut. The biggest pollution threat is storm water runoff which may include agricultural chemicals, as well as raw sewage overflow,
The FRWA helped achieve a "Wild & Scenic" designation for the upper river through collaboration among municipal and state leaders and private organizations. Now they are working on achieving the same for the lower river. They try to find creative ways to protect the river by employing public policy. They also try to mitigate storm water pollution by advocating for pervious parking, swales in parking lots, green roofs and rain gardens.
Towns can be assisted and also recognized for their accomplishments as they strive to do more to protect their water resources. FVWA will arrange for monitoring of groundwater, often in collaboration with MDC. Temperature and bacteria are two parameters commonly evaluated. This year they were invited to test the Farmington River headwaters for the first time, allowing comparison with existing downstream conditions. 2 to 3 interns work with the FVWA-employed scientists to assist with various testing programs each year.
The recent B-17 crash at Bradley International Airport unfortunately resulted in firefighting foam runoff reaching the river through a tributary stream. Many of these foams are long term pollutants. The involved chemical is also found in Teflon and Gore-tex products, and contains flourine compounds, commonly known as "p-phos". At the airport, efforts are being made to fully separate the sanitary drainage system from airport grounds drainage. The chemical persists in ecosystems and adversely affects birds, fish and wildlife.
Mr. Dombos offered these closing thoughts: "Imagine the Farmington Valley without the Farmington River. It's a special asset that needs to be treasured and protected as much as we can." He then showed images of himself, kayaking and enjoying the outdoors with his children. He thanked Rotary and its members for their support, noting 1/3 of the FVWA budget is derived from donations.
Larry Sullivan requested information about the completion date of the Collinsville powerplant? Mr. Dombos stated it's moving ahead and will be operational in late 2020. It will have a 1 -2 megawatt capacity and a boat passageway will be included.
Rollie Sterrett asked what the p-phos chemical does to the fish? Mr. Dombos wasn't sure, but knows its impacts include reproduction.
Don Bonner noted we aren't supposed to eat fish caught downstream of the Rainbow Dam, due to existing pollution.
Phil Ferrari asked what their next goal is? Mr. Dombos noted their ongoing work on several demonstration rain garden projects. He also stated he'd like to focus on community resilience efforts, to help towns prepare for severe storms and also to build up their internship program.