Adam S

Harrisville's Town Spring is a local gem. It is used by many local residents as a source for fresh water. The spring is capable of producing 20 gallons of fresh, clean water per minute, which it has apparently done for 150 years. Skatutakee Road's current water supply is at the same spot as the water tanks that supplied railroad steam engines during the 1800's and the first part of this century. [Please note that the spring isn't maintained or monitored by the Town and water quality cannot be guaranteed.
Harrisville residents are grateful for the public water supply. Our 2013 Natural Resource Inventory highlighted this fact. Since the last summer, the Conservation Commission is gathering information on the source waters for this spring. The most significant finding is that the spring is fed by an "overburden" aquifer, which are glacial deposits sand-gravel that extend south from Beech Hill's flank. Town Spring aquifer has a different structure than other "stratified drift" types. It does not contain a layer of impermeable Clay above the sands or gravel layers. Instead, the 20 to 100 foot deep sands or gravels of this "overburden Aquifer" are exposed directly at the surface. This can make the Town Spring Aquifer more susceptible to surface pollution due to development.
The Conservation Commission explores ways to protect Town Spring's aquifer. This area covers substantial areas along both sides of Dublin Road, and up the flank of Beech Hill. A detailed map was created by Nobis Engineering, an engineering firm. It shows the aquifer (blue) and vital recharge areas that directly feed the town's water (red).