Rep. Zawistowski, MASS Officials Continue Dialogue Re: Up-river Discharges in CT River
Bazinet, Jamison
Rep. Zawistowski, MASS Officials Continue Dialogue Re: Up-river Discharges in CT River
SUFFIELD – For the third time in less than six months, State Representative Tami Zawistowski (R-61), Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, Massachusetts State Representative Pat Duffy, and a growing group of concerned officials, conservationists, and stakeholders met to discuss up-river combined sewage discharges and ongoing efforts to eliminate such outflows from the Connecticut River.
"Since our initial meeting only a few short months ago, this small but growing ad hoc group has made substantial progress toward identifying both primary and secondary areas of concern and is beginning to develop a forward-thinking plan that engages and energizes local, state, and federal resources, including advocates and volunteers, to help mitigate the impact of these overflow events in the future," Rep. Zawistowski said. "As I've said repeatedly, the Connecticut River is a vital resource for both our states' communities, economy, and environment that must be protected."
The group that met in Suffield Town Hall and over Zoom today included Reps. Zawistowski and Duffy, Mayor Garcia, Suffield First Selectman Colin Moll, Mary Monahan, former Chair Board of Public Works, Markelle Smith, of the Mass Audubon Society and CT River Watershed Partnership, Patty Gambarini, lead environmental planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Soundkeeper Bill Lucey, from Save the Sound, and several other local and state environmental advocates.
They discussed ways to engage other elected officials from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and federally, and possible state and federal grant programs to help underwrite the tremendous costs. Mayor Garcia suggested the possibility of creating an interactive map to detail which communities are impacted by the river and using data to underscore the economic benefits of a clean waterway. The group also talked about promoting more river-based events to increase interest and awareness, including tourism advertising, restoring fishing habitats to bring more anglers to the state, paddle events like regattas and day trip tours, and more.
According to the U.S. EPA, when the amount of water runoff exceeds the capacity of combined municipal wastewater treatment systems, untreated stormwater and wastewater is discharged into nearby waterbodies creating a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO). These CSOs are subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program.
In early 2025, in response to concerns from local fishermen and others, Connecticut Reps. Zawistowski and Devin Carney (R-Old Lyme), sent a formal letter to Environmental Protection Agency to request assistance to prevent up-river states from continuing to discharge sewage and other harmful substances into the Connecticut River. Those critical concerns, including the interstate water quality impact, public health risks, environmental justice, and the economic impact to tourism, recreation, and property values along the river corridor prompted these ongoing discussions.
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Rep. Zawistowski represents the 61st district of East Granby, Suffield and Windsor Locks.
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Jamison C. Bazinet
Communications Specialist
House Republican Office
Public Affairs Department
Phone: (860) 240-8726
Email: Jamison...@cga.ct.gov
