(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall study the distribution of dedicated open space within the state in relation to proposed land sales by water companies and shall assist in and, at the request of affected towns, coordinate the public acquisition of water company owned lands.

(b) Upon filing of a water supply plan pursuant to section 25-32d, said commissioner shall designate water utility lands which will contribute to recognized programs of the department and shall recommend their acquisition to the General Assembly. Said commissioner shall also recommend the acquisition of water company lands when such acquisition is less costly than the continued monitoring and enforcement of approved sales or changes in use of such lands.

(c) Water utility lands acquired by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall be subject to Department of Public Health review and such lands, as restricted by such review, shall be put into dedicated ownership and shall not be sold except by a special act of the General Assembly.

(P.A. 77-456, S. 1; 77-614, S. 323, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 85-142, S. 2; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 25-5e transferred to Sec. 22a-355 in 1983; P.A. 85-142 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing reference to forecast of land sales with reference to water supply plan; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” and “Department of Environmental Protection” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” and “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.

Cited. 215 C. 616.

Cited. 3 CA 53.