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The inland wetlands and watercourses of the state of
Connecticut are an indispensable and irreplaceable but
fragile natural resource with which the citizens of the
state have been endowed. …The preservation and protection of
the wetlands and watercourses from random, unnecessary,
undesirable and unregulated uses, disturbance or destruction
is in the public interest and is essential to the health,
welfare and safety of the citizens of the state.
(Connecticut General Statutes Section 22a-36). Healthy
wetlands and watercourse systems support life. They also
provide flood control, scenic views, recreational areas, and
enhancement of property values. Wetlands filter surface
water before it makes its way into lakes and ponds enhancing
the water quality within recreational areas and within our
drinking water supplies.
The Town of Branford Inland Wetland and Watercourses
Commission was established in 1974 to carry out the
provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes [CGS]
Sections 22a-36 though 22a-45 which required the
establishment of Inland Wetland and Watercourses Regulations
and the formation of a commission that would implement those
regulations in order to protect watercourses and inland
wetlands from damage or destruction. The commission is
comprised of up to ten volunteers appointed by the Board of
Selectmen. The Town of Branford also employees a full time
Inland Wetland Enforcement Officer and a part time
assistant. Together, the Commission and paid staff form the
Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency.
To
the best of its ability the Agency strives to meet its
responsibilities as stated in
Section 22a-36 of the CGS, to
provide “an orderly process to balance the need for the
economic growth of the state and the use of its land with
the need to protect its environment and ecology in order to
forever guarantee to the people of the state, the safety of
such natural resources for their benefit and enjoyment and
for the benefit and enjoyment of generations yet unborn.”
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