1. Notice of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for City of New Haven Combined Sewer Overflow Long-Term Control Plan Update
Address of Possible Project Location: Throughout the City of New Haven
Municipality where proposed action is to be located: New Haven
Project Description: The scoping notice for this project was published in the February 20, 2018 edition of the Environmental Monitor. New Haven is a combined sewer overflow (CSO) community, where both sanitary sewage and stormwater are carried in the same pipe. During rainfall events of sufficient intensity and duration, the capacity of the collection system is overwhelmed and excess flows discharge to nearby rivers and the New Haven Harbor via built-in overflows in the collection system. The overflows were designed to prevent the combined sewer flows from backing up into basements and surcharging onto streets. The Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (GNHWPCA) is responsible for operation and maintenance of this collection and treatment system.
The GNHWPCA has agreed, through a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) consent order, to eliminate these discharges, and has developed the CSO Long Term Control Plan (CSOLTCP) to accomplish this. The CSOLTCP recommends a combination of sewer separation, in-system storage, and capacity increases in the conveyance system and at New Haven’s East Shore Water Pollution Abatement Facility (ESWPAF). These improvements will be implemented in a phased approach over a 20 year period. The CSOLTCP will be reevaluated as its projects progress, based on environmental improvements, changes in regulations and new technological solutions that may emerge. Implementation of the proposed CSOLTCP will be conducted in three phases: Short-Term, Intermediate-Term, and Long-Term.
The proposed 2016 update to the CSOLTCP, upon completion of short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term control plan actions, identifies the elimination of CSOs from storms up to and including a 2‐year, 6‐hour design storm by 2036. If requested by the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority and deemed appropriate by the Commissioner, such schedule may be extended but not beyond July 1, 2040.
The CSOLTCP was reviewed and approved by DEEP in 2003 and has been updated regularly in the intervening time. Beginning in 2009, updates to the CSOLTCP are issued every 5 years to ensure that the GNHWPCA continues to stay on track for meeting CSO goals and remains compliant with regulatory requirements, including those of a Consent Order entered into by DEEP and the GNHWPCA. The GNHWPCA continues to implement a variety of projects under the CSOLTCP as described in the City of New Haven Combined Sewer Overflow Long-Term Control Plan Update from December 2016, revised March 2018 (2016 Update). The 2016 Update is the subject of this EIE.
Comments on this EIE will be accepted until the close of business on: April 30, 2021
The EIE can be viewed from this link: EIE FINAL DRAFT
A public hearing may be requested by 25 persons or by an association having more than 25 members within 10 days of this notice's publication. If you have questions about a public hearing, or other questions about this project, contact Mr. Chartier, as directed below.
Send your written comments about this EIE to:
Name: Casey Chartier
Agency: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106
E-Mail: casey.chartier@ct.gov
If you have questions about this EIE, or similar matters, please contact:
Name: Casey Chartier
Agency: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106
Phone: 860-424-3762
E-Mail: casey.chartier@ct.gov
Note: Due to COVID 19 restrictions, employees of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are working remotely. Email is the preferred method of contact, there may be delays with responses to phone calls.
What happens next: The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will review the comments received and may conduct further environmental study and analysis or amend the evaluation. DEEP will prepare responses to the substantive issues raised in review of and comment on the EIE and any supplemental materials or amendments. Those responses and all supplemental materials and comments shall be made available in a "Record of Decision" which will appear in the Environmental Monitor for public inspection.