Wetlands commission passes new regulations

SALISBURY — The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voted to approve a long-awaited revision of its regulations after a brief public hearing on May 12.

Introducing the new regulations draft at the start of the hearing, Land Use Administrator Abby Conroy outlined the history of the IWWC, which began with the adoption of the Connecticut Inland Wetland and Watercourses Act in 1972, after which Salisbury created the Conservation Commission to enact the duties required under that statute.

Conroy explained that one of the major motivations to change the regulations was to reflect the IWWC’s separate “statutory responsibilities” from the Conservation Commission since the two were separated in 2020. The current regulations, which date to 2006, “still reflect the Conservation Commission as the entity responsible for the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act,” she said.

As outlined in the motion that passed May 12, the major objectives in changing the regulations were to “reflect a new Agency name, align with legislative updates, address concerns that the current upland review area does not adequately protect sensitive resources, remedy inconsistent and unclear terms, and to adopt a more user-friendly fee schedule.”

Altering the upland review area — the area near a wetland or waterbody in which development or construction activities may require review from the IWWC — is one of the more significant changes detailed in the revision, and has incited disagreement between the Commission, lakeshore property owners and the various lake associations in town, such as the Twin Lakes Association and the Lake Wononscopomuc Association.

Conroy said that Salisbury’s unique topography and relative lack of development have made the town a haven for many types of wetlands and watercourses, as well as the unique ecosystems and threatened and endangered species that call them home. As a result, she explained, the IWWC developed a “resource-based approach” which establishes different upland review areas for different types of wetlands or waterbodies, while the current regulations set a universal 75-foot upland review area.

Sensitive wetland habitats, such as fens or vernal pools for example, are given a 300-foot upland review area in the new regulations. “They really are unique resources to themselves; each one is facing different pressures and threats,” Conroy said.

The upland review area remains 75 feet for each named lake — Wononscopomuc, Wononkapook, Washining and Washinee — though Chair Vivian Garfein clarified that these numbers are not set in stone.

Should any lake association wish to alter its own number, she explained, it may petition to do so at a later date through a straightforward process.

A raised bill at the current legislative session in Hartford, known as House Bill 7174, has caused concern among residents and commissioners as to the future jurisdictional power of the IWWC. If passed, the new bill would require a minimum 100-foot buffer adjacent to any wetland or watercourse, which would “completely [change] the ballgame as far as jurisdiction goes,” explained Conroy at the IWWC’s April 14 meeting, a month before the hearing. That aspect of the law is scheduled to take effect on July 1 if approved, the same day the new IWWC regulations are set to be adopted.

At that same meeting, Garfein said that the Commission will just have to wait and see regarding the bill, which is currently awaiting House and Senate vote.

Latest News

Mountaineers strike gold at BL track championships

HVRHS sophomore Ryan Segalla went three-for-three May 17 with Berkshire League gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m races. He was also on the gold-winning 4x400m relay team.

Photo by Riley Klein

Berkshire League track and field wrapped up a season of competition with the league finals in Litchfield May 17. The BL festival followed with decathlon, heptathlon, steeplechase and hammer in Falls Village May 20 and Thomaston May 21.

The events included athletes from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Gilbert School, Lakeview High School, Nonnewaug High School, Northwestern Regional High School, Shepaug Valley High School, Terryville High School and Thomaston High School.

Keep ReadingShow less
Salisbury approves traffic detour for June NASCAR event

Lime Rock Park is slated to host the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Friday and Saturday, June 26 to 28, in Lime Rock, Connecticut.

Photo by Nathan Miller

SALISBURY — First Selectman Curtis Rand agreed to sign approvals for changes in traffic patterns and a “hauler parade” for Lime Rock Park’s NASCAR event June 26 to 28 after a lengthy and detailed discussion at a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen Wednesday, May 21.

Lime Rock Park is hosting a weekend of NASCAR events. In anticipation of a larger than usual crowd, park leadership has asked to have one-way traffic on Route 112 — Lime Rock Road — from the junction of Route 7 and Route 112 to White Hollow Road and the main track entrance between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and one-way traffic in the opposite direction between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28.

Keep ReadingShow less
MIRA enters agreement for private sale of Torrington Transfer Station
Torrington Transfer Station’s entrance.
Photo by Jennifer Almquist

TORRINGTON — USA Waste & Recycling’s $3.25 million offer to purchase the Torrington Transfer Station was conditionally accepted by the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority Dissolution Authority at a meeting of its board of directors May 14.

Torrington Transfer Station was one of two facilities in the state, along with Essex Transfer Station, that was still owned by MIRA-DA following the closure of the Hartford trash-to-energy plant in 2022. Municipalities in these service areas were given until July 1, 2027, to establish alternative solid waste contracts.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joan Anderson Turnure

Joan Anderson Turnure, 91, died after a long illness on May 3, 2025, at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, CT. She was the loving widow of Michael DeBurbure Turnure.

A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Church in Salisbury on June 1, at 1:00PM, followed by a reception at The White Hart Inn.

Keep ReadingShow less