If You Care About Connecticut's Streams & Rivers, Please Raise Your Voices Now

An Open Letter from Margaret Miner, CTLCV Director and Executive Director of Rivers Alliance

We who care about and use rivers have waited 40 years for relief from low flows and degraded waters that can't support river fish.

Public Hearing on Stream Flow Regulations

Thurs January 21, 2010 at 9 am

DEP:  79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT

Starting in the 1970s, the state has committed in principle to protecting streams and rivers. But not until this year has a regulation been proposed that would come anywhere near setting protective standards for flow in rivers, standards that would cure the chronic human-made droughts that hit some of our rivers year after year. By our count about 60 streams are impaired or threatened by low flows.

That flow-protection regulation will go to a public hearing on the morning of Thursday, January 21, at the DEP, 79 Elm Street, Hartford. The regulation is bitterly opposed by water diverters, especially water companies and other utilities. Some of these water takers want no restraints on their ability to divert this public resource to use as they see fit. If you care about the streams and rivers of this state, please raise your voices now. Because if you do not, we river advocates will be shouted down by well funded opponents who are determined to kill this regulation. They may very well succeed.

The regulation was developed over the past five years by the DEP in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including utilities. The science behind it is outstanding. At the same time, the protections for utilities and public drinking water are very strong; in fact, so many concessions have been made to utility interests that we will be asking for some fixes. For example, the DEP, at the insistent request of utilities, has added a category of throw-away rivers. These are so-called Class 4 rivers, which are deemed basically hopeless. If one of these rivers runs through your community, too bad for you and the fish.

I don't want to burden you all in this post with tons of content. Many of you know the issue. Many of you worked on the 2005 legislation that mandated the creation of the proposed regulation. But I and many colleagues do want to offer you any and every kind of help to comment and be heard. Leaders in the effort include The Nature Conservancy, Housatonic Valley Association, Trout Unlimited, Farmington River Watershed Coalition, Sierra Club, Quinnipiac River Watershed Association and others, with CT Fund for the Environment offering legal help.

We can make available to individuals and groups, explanation of the regulations, comments on the features that are good or bad, fact sheets, answers to frequently asked questions, and sample testimony. Some of this material is available on our website with a front-page link, including details on the public hearing.  The website is www.riversalliance.org.

WE HAVE THREE VERY URGENT REQUESTS.

1. January 21st: If at all possible, please come to the DEP for the start of the public hearing at 9 a.m. River advocacy groups will be there to help you. We'll even have have badges: Save Our Rivers ! (We're not usually so pushy. But this is an unusual situation.)
2. Please submit written testimony for the hearing on the 21st or at some point in the comment period, which extends to February 4th. We will help with any questions as to how to do this. All written comments MUST be considered by the DEP, so this is important. Comments should go to Paul Stacey, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. Comments must be signed. (We can help with delivery.)
3. Please let your legislators and town officials know if you favor provisions to protect rivers. They are hearing only one side of the story. There are low-flow rivers all over the state. Point them out.  Find your legislators and their contact information at http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CGAFindLeg.asp.

The regulation is complex, and Rivers Alliance will be glad to arrange presentations if you are interested. But the core message is: THE REGULATION IS A REASONABLE, BALANCED PROTECTION FOR OUR RIVERS. WE HAVE WAITED FORTY YEARS FOR THIS DAY. LET'S FIX WHAT NEEDS FIXING AND GET THIS PASSED.

River advocates and water companies share a common interest in protecting the resource for the future. But water utilities have backed themselves into a bad corner, with an unsustainable business structure that requires sales of more and more water to generate revenue. A couple of rainy summers, when people use less water, means financial pain. But the answer to the pain is to create a sustainable business plan not to keeping taking more water out of rivers. This is New England. We have plenty of water for fish and faucet. Our water is a huge economic asset that we are hugely mismanaging. This regulation will prompt good management.

Please let me know if you can come to Hartford, submit testimony, or both. Rivers Alliance contact information is below. 

Margaret Miner (rivers@riversalliance.org)
Rivers Alliance of Connecticut
7 West Street, POB 1797
Litchfield, CT 06759
Tel: 860-361-9349
Fax: 860-361-9341
Cell: 203-788-5161
www.riversalliance.org

Margaret Miner is a Director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and Executive Director of Rivers Alliance.