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History of the Tariffville Water Commission

The formal name is “The Tariffville Water Commission of the Tariffville Fire District.” The important distinction is that the Tariffville Fire District came first, and the Water Commission evolved from the District's responsibility for providing water to the village.

  • 1919: The Tariffville Fire District was organized following a Special Town Meeting in Simsbury. Its responsibilities included fire protection, streetlights, sewage disposal, and water supply for the Village of Tariffville.
  • 1939: A Special Act of the Connecticut legislature gave the Fire District additional authority associated with improving the water system, including taxation. The TWC’s current Rules and Regulations specifically trace its authority to Special Act No. 272, January 1939.
  • Over time, the Fire District’s other municipal functions were transferred or merged into services provided by the Town or other entities. Water service remained, which explains the somewhat unusual situation today: the Tariffville Fire District continues to exist principally through the Tariffville Water Commission.
  • The old Tariffville Volunteer Fire Company itself was eventually dissolved in 1983, with fire protection responsibilities transferring to the Simsbury system. That is separate from the Fire District’s continuing water function.
  • Today, the TWC is a public/municipal entity rather than a privately owned water company. It currently supplies more than 500 buildings and approximately 1,300 people in Tariffville.