Good morning Senator Handley, Representative Sayers and the distinguished members of the Public Health Committee, my name is Frank Lane and I am Director of Real Estate & Environmental Compliance for Tilcon Connecticut. I appreciate the opportunity to testify in favor of HB 5903 “An Act Concerning Drinking Water”

As you are likely aware, last year Tilcon worked extensively with legislators from New Britain, Plainville and Southington to explore and study the public benefits regarding the sale of mineral rights to properties owned by the city of New Britain located adjacent to our Plainville quarry.  You may recall as part of last year’s legislation, Tilcon and others involved agreed to a process which would have required detailed local and state analysis, as well as public participation by our neighbors prior to any approval.  Regretfully this legislation was misconstrued as some sort of approval and the legislation was repealed.  As we move forward, Tilcon will continue to support a process that requires local and state study as well as public input and participation as part of an approval process. 

As a leading supplier of crushed stone aggregate, hot mix asphalt and ready mix concrete, Tilcon Connecticut has played a vital role in building the state’s infrastructure since 1923.  At 25 locations around the state, Tilcon’s 800 plus employees assist in the construction and maintenance of our state’s roads, buildings and bridges.  Tilcon’s Plainville quarry is particularly critical to the company’s ability to effectively serve the State’s needs in central Connecticut  as well as throughout the region.  Additionally, we employ 295 people in the Plainville/New Britain facility and we are one of the largest taxpayers in Plainville.

While our operations in Plainville have allowed us to meet present demand, this quarry faces serious resource challenges for the future and as currently configured, will be exhausted and unable to operate in about 20 years.  Over the past year, Tilcon has conducted extensive research on how we could continue to sustain our Plainville operations while maintaining hundreds of jobs and the economic vitality the quarry brings to the area.  One of the most viable scenarios would be the expansion of our stone quarry operations in Plainville to 131 acres of land owned by the City of New Britain adjacent to our current quarry.  By purchasing just the mineral rights to this land, the City of New Britain would benefit from approximately $15 million dollars in new revenue while retaining ownership of the land and Tilcon would be able to sustain its quarry and the 295 jobs that are part of our Plainville/New Britain operations.  Our proposal would not only allow Tilcon to continue to serve as a vital source of construction materials and a major employer in central Connecticut but will also offer significant economic, environmental and improved water resource benefits to the communities of New Britain, Plainville and Southington.

First and foremost, our plan will result in the creation of a potential new water storage reservoir with three times the capacity of New Britain’s Shuttlemeadow Reservoir. Initially, this proposed reservoir would be 19.5 acres but could potentially be 154 acres and when completely full could hold 4.7 billion gallons of water, compared to Shuttlemeadow’s 1.5 billion gallons.  This proposed reservoir will be ideal for quality drinking water supplies because its depth and steep quarried walls will make it difficult for sunlight to foster the growth of algae and other plant growth that can adversely impact water supply quality. This is a rare opportunity to create a new drinking water reservoir in densely populated central Connecticut.  In addition to increasing the region’s available supply of water, this new reservoir will allow for storm water capture and storage, reducing storm water runoff, which will improve critical flood protection for New Britain residents. 

Tilcon is also proud to share with committee members and the public, the many environmental benefits including in our plan.  As part of the proposed expansion, Tilcon would donate more than 275 acres of company owned land, currently developable, as open space: the City of New Britain will receive approximately 95 acres of land for reservoir development, open space and/or watershed; The Town of Plainville will receive approximately 157 acres of land for open space and the Town of Southington will receive approximately 75 acres of land for open space and/or watershed.  The donation of this land will prevent any future development and will result in a major increase in the amount of protected open space and Class I and Class II watershed acreage in the region. In fact, for every acre of mineral rights sold to Tilcon, the company will donate nearly three acres of open space.  This potential 3 for 1 exchange represents a unique opportunity for New Britain, Southington and Plainville to substantially expand their open space land.  It is critical to point out that our proposal would generate an estimated 133 acres of Class I and Class II watershed property, while disturbing only 10 acres of currently designated Class I watershed.

Finally, with the ability to continue operations at our current site, the towns of Plainville and Southington, the City of New Britain and the state will benefit from the retention of 830 jobs through 2048.  In addition, Tilcon will be able to continue employment opportunities for over 200 local families and residents.  Further, as a result of our continued operations, Tilcon will be able to maintain its longstanding support of over 100 local charitable organizations and events. 

If Tilcon is not able to continue its operations at the Plainville quarry the company may be forced to cut back critical construction services and products provided to the state of Connecticut, eliminate jobs at the Plainville quarry and explore other uses for developing the approximately 530 acres of land that the company currently owns at this site.   Our proposal represents a unique opportunity: a win-win proposition that will benefit the economy and the environment, while generating a valuable water resource for the region as well as a significant source of revenue to the City of New Britain. It is our hope that key stakeholders including environmental leaders will recognize the many economic, environmental and natural resource benefits included in our proposal. 

Thank you again for this opportunity to testify, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.