The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113–2) allocated Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG–DR) funds for the purpose of assisting recovery in the most impacted and distressed areas declared a major disaster due to Superstorm Sandy. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has advised the State of Connecticut that a total of three separate allocations will be made to affected jurisdictions with the CDBG funds appropriated by Congress for disaster relief. The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) intends to expend up to $7,000,000 in planning activities in Tranche 2 to assist in the planning processes associated with improving the resiliency of infrastructure and public facilities, and providing mitigation activities in the areas of the State that are eligible for the expenditure of the funding. Funding priorities for planning projects funded through CDBG-DR for Mitigation and Resiliency under the Second Tranche include resiliency/mitigation activities related to potable water or waste water systems.

The Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Drinking Water Section (DWS) applied for and received federal funding from the CDBG-DR administered by the Connecticut DOH, to help prepare a Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan (DWVAR Plan).  The plan will help identify vulnerabilities, as well as take measures to enhance resiliency in areas with drinking water supplies. Public water system adequacy, redundancy, and resilience have a critical role in ensuring continued public health and safety, above all in disasters.

 

The State recognizes that future storms and hazards may cause severe damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and public facilities across Connecticut. It is essential that our infrastructure and public facilities be hardened in anticipation of future events. The goal in developing a DWVAR Plan is to assess, identify, and address vulnerabilities for community water systems (CWS) in Connecticut’s four coastal counties (Fairfield, New Haven, New London, and Middlesex). The DWVAR Plan will ensure preparedness and resiliency of CWS before, during, and after future storms and hazards, such as drought and climate change. For more information, refer to Circular Letter 2016-32.

 

For additional information see: