Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Press Releases

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06/07/2024

DEEP Applauds More Than $300 Million in State Bond Commission Funding Approvals

State Parks, Wastewater Infrastructure, and Jobs Pond Flooding Aid Funded

 

(HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today received more than $300 million from the State Bond Commission that will fund several critical and complex environmental initiatives across the state, including State Park upgrades, municipal clean water projects, and an effort to drain high water levels at Portland’s Jobs Pond.

Among the items approved at Friday’s meeting of the State Bond Commission include:

  • $275 million to provide loans to various municipalities to assist in Clean Water Fund project costs. This municipal wastewater project funding supplements federal government funding to build and finance projects that improve water quality and protect public health while sustaining the state’s significant natural resources. 

  • $30 million for statewide repairs, preventative maintenance, and new construction at various State Parks, State Forests, and Wildlife Management Areas.

  • $3.7 million to provide grants-in-aid to certain municipalities and entities for greenway improvements, emergency dam repairs, and park improvements.

  • $187,500 to Jobs Pond flood mitigation efforts. DEEP and the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security have been working with the Town of Portland, who is securing federal funding through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. The proposed project will entail installing pumps to pump water out of Jobs Pond, which is currently flooding homes. DEEP’s role will be to review necessary environmental authorizations and to provide regulatory support to the Town of Portland, the project sponsor. 

“DEEP is grateful that the critical funds approved by the State Bond Commission today will benefit so many Connecticut residents by facilitating critical municipal wastewater projects and funding improvements in our parks, as well as assisting the Town of Portland in mitigating flooding at Jobs Pond,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “Infrastructure is a large part of what DEEP does across Connecticut, from enhancing the user experience and preserving jewels within our State Park system to helping municipalities upgrade wastewater systems that keep Connecticut sustainable. We’ve made a historic commitment to address the backlog of needed infrastructure improvements across the State Park system. Repairs, preventive maintenance, and new construction will improve and increase access to the outdoors.”

Clean Water Fund

Since the program’s authorization in 1987, DEEP has awarded $4.5 billion in assistance to 120 communities, primarily for the upgrading of municipal wastewater infrastructure and related infrastructure needs. 

DEEP will disburse the bond funding announced today to clean water projects as outlined in DEEP’s Clean Water Fund Project Priority List when each individual project is ready to proceed. The funding announced today will be used to provide low-interest loans to municipalities with planned and designed wastewater infrastructure upgrades.  Wastewater infrastructure, like all infrastructure, requires maintenance and upgrades to replace outdated equipment, increase efficiencies, and reduce operational costs to enhance protection of our waters, protect public health, and build resilience. Some of the projects supported through today’s allocation include the following:

  • The Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) will be improving the East Street wastewater pump station in New Haven with a $50 million upgrade that will reduce untreated sewer overflows to the West River.
  • The MDC is steadily progressing on the North Hartford Pilot Project (NHPP) that Governor Lamont announced to the public last June.  The innovative NHPP, which has expanded as more problem areas continue to be identified in North Hartford, is funding approximately $200 million of work on both public and private (on a pilot basis) property. The work will separate combined sewers and rehabilitate other aging sewers, in order to alleviate residential basement backups and street flooding, and reduce untreated sewer overflows to the Park River and Connecticut River.
  • The Bridgeport WPCA is completing the design of Phase 1 of a comprehensive upgrade of the West Side wastewater treatment plant. A comprehensive upgrade of the treatment plant is required to reduce nitrogen and untreated sewer overflows that are discharged into Long Island Sound. Phase 1 will focus on replacing outdated infrastructure, and will also include the construction of a new barrier wall to provide better protection to the plant’s residential neighbors.  Phase 1 of the upgrade will cost approximately $30 million.  

  

State Parks

Connecticut has 110 state parks and 32 state forests, which include 14 campgrounds, 23 designated swimming areas, thousands of miles of trails, and hundreds of thousands of acres to enjoy.

The state parks have enjoyed a surge in popularity since the onset of the pandemic and welcomed an estimated 17 million visitors in 2023, up from an estimated 10 million before the onset of COVID-19. They are a premier tourism destination in Connecticut, a huge part of our quality of life, and a boon to local economies.

Connecticut has an unprecedented amount of infrastructure repair and refurbishment needed across our State Park system, and the $30 million approved today is part of the historic commitment of $70.7 million ($10.7 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds as well as $30 million of bond fund authorizations in both FY 24 and FY 25) by the Lamont Administration and the State Legislature to support these important investments. More information on current improvement projects can be found on our Restore CT State Parks website.

Specific projects supported through today’s Bond Commission allocation will support access to and enjoyment of Connecticut State Parks. Work includes drainage and paving improvements at various State Parks around the state, replacement of the covered bridge at Chatfield Hollow State Park, utilities upgrades and boardwalk replacement at Rocky Neck State Park, and boat launch renovations at Squantz Pond State Park. More information on the projects supported through today’s Bond Commission allocation is available here: agenda_jun7_2024.pdf (ct.gov)

 

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Contact

DEEP Communications  
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110