News Releases - 2020

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• 9/1/2020 DEEP Announces New Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Conservation

  he Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announces its new Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Conservation, Mason Trumble, an outdoor educator with expertise in promoting and expanding access to outdoor recreation through innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors.

• 8/31/2020 Bat Appreciation Days at Old New Gate Prison and Copper Mine Virtual Events

  Join the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division and Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for a celebration of bat conservation during a virtual event to be held from August 31 through September 4, 2020.

• 8/28/2020 CT State Parks to Re-institute Non-Resident Fee Collection

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is re-instituting a parking fee collection process for non-resident visitors at what will eventually be up to 22 park locations with field-testing to start Monday.

• 8/26/2020 DEEP and Municipal Leaders Announce Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management to Pursue Waste Reduction Strategies

  Today, 65 Connecticut cities and towns and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released a statement committing to work together as part of a Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management (CCSMM), a joint effort between DEEP and municipalities across the state to collectively pursue improved waste reduction strategies.

• 8/26/2020 Barkhamsted Woman Ties 40-Year-Old State Record with Massive Northern Pike Catch

  (COLEBROOK, CT) – An evening of kayak fishing with the family turned into a record evening for a Barkhamsted woman recently. ​

• 8/25/2020 DEEP Temporarily Restricts Candlewood Lake Boat Launches, Increases Monitoring

  Gov. Ned Lamont announced today that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will close the Lattins Cove state boat launch and limit parking capacity to 50% at Squantz Cove state boat launch beginning Wednesday, August 26.

• 8/17/2020 Media availability on DEEP’s recent use of a drone to identify hotspots to aid in containment of recent Riverside Thompson forest fire.

  Media availability on DEEP’s recent use of a drone to identify hotspots to aid in containment of recent Riverside Thompson forest fire.

• 8/14/2020 Media Availability: 10-person Group of Firefighters Returns Home Today from Fighting California Wildfire

  A 10-person group of trained wildland firefighters will return to Connecticut today after spending the last few weeks in the Modoc National Forest area in northeastern California.

• 8/13/2020 DEEP Divisions Share New Technology to Identify Hotspots in Fire Response

  THOMPSON-The eye in the sky soars overhead as radiant islands reveal themselves in stark contrast to the surrounding dark. Yellows and reds pulsate prominently against the gray of the road and the dense black of the forest.

• 8/6/2020 DEEP Advises Against Contact Recreation in Mill Brook, Packers Pond, and Quinnebaug River Below Mill Brook Intersection Over Next 48 Hours Due to Sewage Bypass

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been advised that 150,000 gallons of partially treated, but not disinfected, wastewater has bypassed the Plainfield Village wastewater treatment facility in Plainfield, CT.

• 8/5/2020 DEEP Advises Against Contact Recreation in CT River over next 48 hours due to Massachusetts Sewage Release

  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been advised that hundreds of thousands of gallons of combined untreated stormwater and sewage has been released into the Chicopee River in Springfield, which feeds into the Connecticut River. As a precaution, DEEP advises against contact recreation in the Connecticut River north of the city of Middletown over the next 48 hours.

• 7/27/2020 DMHAS and DEEP Announce Series of Wellness Activities in State Parks

  Southbury, CT – The Connecticut Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), in collaboration with local-nonprofit Toivo, are excited to announce a series of mindful outdoor experiences in local and state parks. DMHAS Commissioner Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes will participate in the first virtual wellness event at Kettletown State Park in Southbury on Monday August 10th, 2020 at 10am.

• 7/24/2020 DEEP Forecasts Elevated Levels of Ozone for Western and Coastal Connecticut Over July 25th Weekend

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting several days of very warm weather, which will contribute to elevated ozone levels across parts of Connecticut. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for Coastal Connecticut, on Sunday, July 26, 2020, and Monday July 27, 2020. The impacted area for both days includes all coastal towns extending from Greenwich to Stonington.

• 7/24/2020 DEEP and Other Local Firefighters Deploy to Fight California Wildfires

  Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Forest Protection Staff are preparing a 10-person group of trained wildland firefighters to assist the U.S. Forest Service in fighting wildfires in the western United States, following receipt of a request for national wildfire response this morning.

• 7/18/2020 Elevated Levels of Ozone for Western and Coastal Connecticut Over the July 18th Weekend

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is expecting several days of very warm weather, which will contribute to elevated ozone levels across parts of Connecticut. These levels may approach or exceed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) levels for western Connecticut, on Sunday, July 19, 2020. The impacted area includes western Connecticut as far inland as Cornwall and along the coast from Greenwich to Madison.