Waterbury, Connecticut earned its nickname “The Brass City” honestly. For over 150 years — from the early 1800s through the late 20th century — this Naugatuck Valley city was the brass manufacturing capital of the world. Companies like Scovill, Chase Brass, and American Brass Company turned Waterbury into an industrial powerhouse.
That era is over. What remains is a city of about 114,000 people, a battered Naugatuck River, and a contamination legacy that runs deep — literally — into the soil and groundwater.
A Century of Heavy Metal Manufacturing
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, but brass manufacturing involves much more than those two metals. The Waterbury brass industry also worked extensively with:
- Lead — Used in leaded brass alloys, solders, and finishing processes.
- Cadmium — Used in plating operations.
- Chromium — Used in chrome plating and metal finishing.
- Nickel — Used in alloy production and plating.
- Copper — The primary component, present in waste streams at high concentrations.
- Zinc — The other primary component, also released in manufacturing waste.
For most of its history, the industry dumped wastewater directly into the Naugatuck River and its tributaries. Solid waste, including metal-contaminated slag, was used as fill throughout the city. Air emissions deposited metal particulates across neighborhoods. The result: widespread contamination of soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater.
The Naugatuck River
The Naugatuck River runs through the heart of Waterbury and was essentially an industrial sewer for decades. While water quality has improved significantly since the Clean Water Act took effect in the 1970s, contaminated sediments remain a problem.
Studies have documented elevated levels of copper, zinc, lead, and cadmium in river sediments through the Waterbury stretch. These metals don’t degrade — they persist in the environment indefinitely, slowly releasing into the water column and accumulating in aquatic organisms.
Fish consumption advisories are in effect for portions of the Naugatuck River, primarily due to mercury (from sources throughout the watershed) and PCBs.
Brownfield Sites and Contaminated Land
Waterbury is dotted with former industrial properties — brownfields — where metal contamination persists in soil and groundwater. Many of these sites have undergone some level of investigation and remediation under Connecticut’s Transfer Act and the state’s brownfield programs, but others remain uncharacterized.
Key contamination concerns at brownfield sites include:
- Metals in soil — Lead, copper, and zinc at levels exceeding residential direct exposure criteria.
- VOCs in groundwater — Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE) from degreasing operations contaminate groundwater beneath former manufacturing sites.
- Petroleum compounds — From fuel storage and industrial operations.
For residents living near former brass mills or metal finishing shops — which is a lot of Waterbury — the soil in yards and gardens may contain elevated metals, particularly lead.
Current Drinking Water Quality
Waterbury’s drinking water comes from surface water reservoirs in the surrounding hills, managed by the Regional Water Authority (formerly the Waterbury Water Bureau, now part of a regional system). The primary sources are Wigwam Reservoir and Morris Reservoir, supplemented by other impoundments.
These reservoir sources are located upstream and away from the city’s industrial areas, which is a significant advantage. The water quality from these sources is generally good:
- Lead and copper — The system monitors under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule. Source water lead levels are very low, but older homes with lead service lines or lead solder can introduce lead at the tap. Given Waterbury’s housing stock — much of it built before 1950 — lead exposure from plumbing is a real concern.
- Disinfection byproducts — Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids are present at detectable levels but within EPA limits.
- PFAS — Connecticut has been proactive on PFAS, adopting action levels and moving toward enforceable standards. Testing of Waterbury’s sources has been conducted, and residents should review the latest results in annual water quality reports.
- Turbidity and organics — Surface water sources are subject to seasonal variation in organic content, which affects taste and disinfection byproduct formation.
The Lead Problem in Older Homes
This is where Waterbury’s manufacturing history intersects directly with drinking water quality. The city’s housing stock is among the oldest in Connecticut:
- Thousands of homes were built before 1950, when lead pipes and lead solder were standard.
- Lead service lines connecting homes to water mains are common in older neighborhoods.
- Even homes without lead service lines may have lead solder joints or brass fixtures containing lead.
Connecticut has been working on lead service line inventories statewide, as required by the EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule. For Waterbury, with its brass industry heritage and aging housing, this is particularly critical.
If your home was built before 1986, assume you may have lead in your plumbing until testing proves otherwise. Run cold water for at least 30 seconds before drinking if the tap hasn’t been used for several hours. Better yet, get your water tested.
What Residents Can Do
- Test your tap water for lead. This is priority one in Waterbury. Contact the water authority or your local health department for testing options. Many offer free or low-cost lead testing.
- Be cautious with yard soil. If you live near a former industrial site (and in Waterbury, you very well might), have soil tested before starting a vegetable garden. Lead in soil is a common problem in former industrial cities.
- Review the annual water quality report from your water provider. Look at actual detected levels, not just compliance statements.
- Consider a point-of-use filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduction. Pitcher filters, faucet-mount filters, and under-sink systems are available at various price points.
- If you’re on a private well (more common in surrounding towns than in the city itself), test for metals, VOCs, and PFAS, given the region’s industrial history.
The Bottom Line
Waterbury’s reservoir-based water supply is fundamentally clean at the source. The contamination risk lives in the last mile — the aging pipes, service lines, and plumbing in homes built when lead was the standard material. In a city that manufactured brass (and the lead that went with it) for over a century, the irony is hard to miss.
The broader contamination legacy — metals in soil, VOCs in groundwater, contaminated sediments in the river — doesn’t directly affect most residents’ tap water, but it shapes the environmental health of the community.
If you’re concerned about your water quality, a certified water treatment professional can test your water and advise on solutions tailored to your specific situation.
Sources: Connecticut DEEP Brownfield Program, EPA Lead and Copper Rule, Regional Water Authority Annual Water Quality Reports, Connecticut Department of Public Health PFAS guidance, Naugatuck River watershed assessments, EPA fish consumption advisories.