Formerly the soil and water conservation service, the district is a nonprofit organization devoted to the use and management of natural resources in a 26-town area extending from New Britain, Rocky Hill and Hebron south to Long Island Sound. The district provides technical assistance and education in soil and water conservation, erosion and sedimentation control, stormwater management and watershed protection. It partners with federal, state and local governments, and advises farmers, developers, cities, towns and the public. In 1992, the agency launched a program to monitor water quality in the Connecticut River system using a network of citizen volunteers.