A draft existing conditions report on the Still River is a snapshot of where the waterway is now, including the water quality.  The report is being compiled by the Housatonic Valley Association.  

Conservation Projects Manager Courtney Moorehouse says part of the EPA-approved watershed plan is to talk with each town on what they've found and how it applies to each municipality in particular. The Still River was declared dead in the 1980s because it was polluted, but has made a comeback since then because of regulations.  The Clean Water Act has eliminated a lot of the point-source pollution that's gone into the river.

Moorsehouse says they couldn't point to a particular spot of the watershed in Newtown having pollution impacting its health, but rather storm water run off was determined to the cause.  She says oils from the road, debris and other material is making its way into the river.  The Limekiln Brook calls for a reduction of pollution to reduce ecoli, but Moorehouse says Newtown isn't particularly responsible. 

There were no noticeable impacts found during stream walks.