Rep. Zawistowski Urgently Requests MA U.S. Senators Markey and Warren to Expedite CT River Cleanup
Bazinet, Jamison
Rep. Zawistowski Urgently Requests MA U.S. Senators Markey and Warren to Expedite CT River Cleanup
HARTFORD – In response to yet another major sewer overflow discharge from a Massachusetts city into the Connecticut River, State Representative Tami Zawistowski (R-61) this week sent a letter to United States Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren requesting an enhanced level of attention and urgency to prevent persistent combined sewage overflows (CSOs) from occurring in Western Massachusetts.
Noting that similar overflows affecting the Merrimack Valley and North Shore of Massachusetts were dealt with swiftly by their U.S. Senate colleagues, Rep. Zawistowski implored the veteran federal lawmakers to act swiftly to protect water quality and preserve recreation, fishing, and a riverfront small-business economy that depends on public confidence that our waterways are safe to use.
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. Last Thursday on July 2, the Town of West Springfield announced that heavy rain a few days prior caused more than 6.1 million gallons of untreated wastewater to flow into the Connecticut, Chicopee, and Mill Rivers.
“Sewage overflows into our rivers are a recurring, largely preventable consequence of aging combined sewer infrastructure,” Rep. Zawistowski wrote. “Western Massachusetts residents pay the same federal taxes and deserve the same responsiveness from their elected officials in Washington. I would appreciate hearing what steps your office plans to take in response to the CSO issue in the Connecticut River, and I thank you for your continued attention to water quality and infrastructure issues across the entire state.”
Rep. Zawistowski asked the Senators to:
- Formally inquire with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other relevant federal agencies about the Connecticut River CSOs with the same urgency shown for the Merrimack River situation
- Commit to expediting review of any request for federal emergency or infrastructure assistance submitted by the City of Springfield, the City of Holyoke, the Town of West Springfield, or Governor Healey related to these ongoing CSO events and the aging infrastructure that cause them
- Support long-term federal investment in CSO remediation for the region’s wastewater systems, which serve a significant portion of Western Massachusetts and have a documented history of overflow events during heavy rain
Last spring, in response to concerns from local fishermen and others, Rep. Zawistowski took the lead and sent a formal letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mark Sanborn requesting his assistance to up-river states from continuing to discharge sewage and other harmful substances into the Connecticut River.
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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