The Northfield Brook Watershed is approximately 1,200 acres and falls completely within the Towns of Litchfield and Thomaston. The Northfield Brook is an impaired stream that drains the watershed and flows into the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Northfield Dam Flood Control Project. The ACE is having huge sediment problems as well as high nutrient concentrations and high bacteria count problems. The swimming area is closed many times during the summer because of poor water quality issues. After visiting the property and reviewing historic water quality and sedimentation data it was obvious that the watershed was contributing substantial sediments and nutrient loads to the Northfield Lake.

The Northwest Conservation District won an award to perform “Track Down Surveys” in the Northfield Brook Watershed to identify potential contributing sources of sediments, nutrients and water born pathogens. A Track Down Survey is the first step in identifying problems within a watershed. It involved walking the streambed of every watercourse (perennial and intermittent) in the watershed looking for problem spots. All the details of the field surveys were compiled into a database as well as watershed maps that shows locations and actual pictures of problem areas.

The Track Down Survey allowed us to compile a total picture of what is causing the accelerated pond eutrophication and water quality degradation. Surveying the entire watershed that feeds the pond provided a large and detailed body of information that we incorporated into a Watershed Management Plan. We are currently implementing a section of the plan by designing and installing a number of stormwater quality management retrofits to help relieve water quality problems.

Mill Brook is an impaired stream that flows West through Cornwall into the Housatonic River. The Fisheries Division of the CT DEP accomplished fish sampling at many locations throughout the watershed in the summer of 2006 and noted a significant lack of expected populations and diversity. The NWCD has accomplished a Track Down Survey for the entire watershed which provide a detailed body of information that was used to draft a Water Management Plan.

Morgan Brook is a stream that flows East through Barkhamsted into the Farmington River. A large portion of Morgan Brook’s upper watershed has been developed with a high percentage of impervious surfaces. Improper stormwater management in the headwaters of a stream can often be the cause of problems throughout the watershed. Table 3-3 of the 2008 CT Integrated Water Quality Report (IWQR) lists Morgan Brook as being impaired for recreation use, and supporting aquatic life. Therefore, the NCD proposed to survey the entire watershed to provide a detailed body of information that can be used to draft a watershed management plan and create an interactive map that can be used to quickly access collected field data and photos. We won an award to accomplish this work in Fall of 2009.   It is our hope that there could be some small modifications to the stormwater and waste water management practices that will help reverse the degrading water quality trend so that the CT DEEP can remove this stream from CTs list of impaired waters.

The Naugatuck River is famous nationwide for a dramatic recovery from past industrial pollution. NCD has been involved in many projects to improve the Naugatuck.

In 2008 we designed and installed a series of interpretive river signs with maps, fun facts and tips for River Care and Protection.

We also trained Streamwalk Volunteers for both the East and West Branches of the River in Torrington. Over the summers of 2002 and 2003, many volunteers walked the river and collected data on river and streambank conditions. This data has been compiled, trouble spots prioritized and mapped. In the Spring of 2004, we assisted the CT DEEP in creating a vegetated buffer of native plants along the river at the Water Pollution Control Facility in Waterbury.

We sponsored a streamwalk training program for volunteers to survey a stretch of the Farmington Riverbank. The data collected became part of a multi-state study led by a Coalition of all the Conservation Districts up and down the Connecticut River and its tributaries. Two other programs focused on educating Homeowners and Business Owners along the Farmington in good river stewardship.

NWCD completed a project to repair a serious erosion site on the Pomperaug River near the Judson Avenue Bridge in Woodbury. This site was chosen as the most serious of several potential spots. This fix will protect private property and improve the river for all residents. This project was funded in part by the CT DEP under section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.

For years the Beebe Hill area in Falls Village has been dealing with incredible erosion problems which have threatened town roads and private property. District persistence to obtain Grant Funding for a permanent fix finally paid off. Fixing this erosion will benefit the local area and keep sediments from damaging nearby Robbins Swamp, a pristine wetland area.

This project was funded in part by the CT DEEP under section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.

The large numbers of livestock in this small watershed require creative answers to manure management.  Over the past several years, NWCD secured five grants for the Canaan Valley Agricultural COOP and its members. These grants have supported research, planning and design of machinery to separate, dry and compost manure. This new pathogen free material is now being used for “Cow Pots” that are perfect for seedling starters. These Cow Pots even have built in fertilizer for the new plants.  

Another project in the Blackberry assisted the farmers by conducting soil testing to measure nutrients. NWCD staff sampled all farm fields and tested for nutrient levels. The results saved dollars spent on excess fertilizer and protected water quality in the watershed.

In the Lake Waramaug watershed, Sucker Brook provides approximately 60% of the lake’s water. This tributary is as a major source of excess nutrients to the lake. NWCD has worked on several projects to aid in decreasing the impact of Sucker Brook on Lake Waramaug. 

In the 1990s, a local dairy operation was identified as a source of excess nutrient and bacteria into Sucker Brook, contributing to high levels of nutrients in Lake Waramaug. A system for storage and controlled usage of manure on farm fields was constructed resulting in a cleaner brook and lake. NWCD secured Clean Water Act funding from the CT DEEP under Section 319 and then was able to piece together a coalition of funding from federal (USDA NRCS), state (CT Dept of Agriculture) and local (Lake Waramaug Task Force) sources. 

Additionally in 2011, NWCD worked in cooperation with the Lake Waramaug Task Force to create an Erosion Assessment and Watershed Management Plan for Lake Waramaug or the Upper East Aspetuck River Watershed. The report was created using Track Down Surveys that identified eroding stream banks and problem areas in Sucker Brook and three of the major tributaries to the Lake that were contributing to pollution into Lake Waramaug. Further, the report discussed possible techniques to implement to manage and fix these problem areas. Below is the final map created from this project. Map_SuckerBrkSedimentStudyRv2