EPA Responds to Reps. Zawistowski and Carney re: Up-river Discharges in CT River
State Representatives Tami Zawistowski (R-61) and Devin Carney (R-23) announced today that federal Environmental Protection Agency officials have responded to their request for assistance regarding continued up-river sewage and stormwater overflow discharges in the Connecticut River following major rain events.
“While the EPA acknowledged the persistent problem of combined sewer overflows from up-river municipalities and the related impacts on Connecticut residents, unfortunately, the official reply falls short of providing any immediate, short-term solutions and insists that changes are being made, albeit slowly and as funding permits,” Rep. Zawistowski said. “I appreciate the timely response and I’m glad we have open lines of communication with federal agencies as we continue to press for solutions.”
Several weeks ago, Reps. Zawistowski and Devin Carney (R-Old Lyme), sent a formal letter citing examples to highlight their claims to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mark Sanborn to request his assistance to prevent the state of Massachusetts and other up-river states from continuing to discharge sewage and other harmful substances into the Connecticut River. The veteran lawmakers whose districts border the Connecticut River writing: “We are deeply troubled by the ongoing wastewater discharge issues affecting the Connecticut River, particularly the recent Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events from upstream municipalities in Massachusetts that directly impact downstream communities in our state. When these discharges occur, you can actually see some of the solid waste from untreated sewage floating down with the current.”
“As legislators representing both ends of the Connecticut River as it traverses our state, we remain committed to finding practical, workable solutions that will have a much more immediate and greater impact to this important health and safety issue than waiting decades for funding and projects to eventually be completed,” Rep. Carney said. “We will continue to fight to protect this beautiful natural resource as is vital to our state’s communities, economy, and environment.”