New Haven Independent

The state of Connecticut has been on a two-decade trajectory to clean up our waterways, to meet the federal guidelines of “swimmable and fishable.” But over the past couple of years, state clean water funding has plummeted, and that has the people in charge of cleaning the water, as well as those who would like to enjoy clean water, very concerned. About 15 percent of the funding reduction is due to cuts at the federal level.

To be specific, for many years clean water funding averaged about $48 million a year. In New Haven, some of that money was allocated to separate the storm water and sanitary sewers, so raw sewage doesn’t flow into the harbor every time there’s a heavy rain. The job’s about half finished, said Ray Smedberg, who’s transitioning into retirement after 14 years as executive director of the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (which serves New Haven, Hamden, East Haven and Woodbridge). “The concern is that that level of achievement gives us a base that we can spring off of to continue water quality improvements,” Smedberg said, “or, it’s going to be a step-off into the abyss, so to speak.”

Smedberg said finishing the sewer separation job in New Haven will require $300 million over the next 15 years. Funding is also needed to continue the effort to remove excess nitrogen from the waters of the Long Island Sound.

Without a restoration of the funding level, progress will stop. Smedberg said the WPCA will be able to maintain existing water quality, but not improve it. The legislature has authorized just $20 million in bonding for each of the next two years, while Gov. Jodi Rell’s budget is even stingier at $17.4 million a year in bond funding, while increasing the amount of money available in loans to $87 million.

“The deadlines look like they’re going to be pushed further into the future rather than along the lines of the original plans, because of the loss of the state contribution into the sewer revolving fund,” said Dominick DeGangi (shown at right in photo with Smedberg), who’s taking over from Smedberg at the WPCA. “The concept of the state revolving fund was simple: when I made my improvement and I paid my loan money back, the state would take my loan money and lend it to someone else.”

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities is hosting a meeting on Monday to push the legislature to restore the grant funding. Connecticut Fund for the Environment’s Save the Sound program director Leah Lopez said a coalition is building to strengthen that push. She adds that the status quo is unacceptable.

“Thousands are robbed of being able to swim at city beaches, and some of our best shellfish beds in the state become polluted,” she said. “If we continue current funding levels, it will take well over 100 years to live up to the promise of a clean Sound for all to enjoy.”