Westport’s Water: “A Sobering View”

Marc Lemcke is a Westport resident, and a close observer of water utility Aquarion’s presence in town.

Last Thursday, he attended a community discussion about water. He calls it “a sobering view of Westport’s water future.” Marc writes:

Thank you to Valerie Seiling Jacobs, Robert Harrington and our expert State Representative Jonathan Steinberg for your role in the discussion.

Below are 5 key takeaways:

1. The North Avenue tanks are a symptom of failed oversight.

• They are not only part of a broader water system, but a manifestation of a larger problem: failed utility oversight.
• The tanks were never designed for Westport’s specific water challenges, despite the water company’s claims.
• The water company misled the community and the P&Z to avoid scrutiny of a much larger project: the $200 million Southwest Regional Pipeline Project.
• The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and Department of Public Health were fully aware that this narrative was at best incomplete, and at worst false.
• Westport’s long-known water challenges are unlikely to see tangible improvements in fire protection any time soon.

North Avenue water tank. (Photo/Richard Fogel)

2. The Town is not honoring the 2019 agreement.

• As part of a settlement, the town of Westport formally agreed with residents in 2019 to review the project’s impact on Westport. The town is not honoring this agreement.
• The town has not been responding to questions. Instead, the water company has filed an application with the local Planning & Zoning Commission change the permit and obtain a certificate of project compliance.
• The town has, in practice, limited transparency around this case and Westport’s broader water challenges.

3. The P&Z application is materially incomplete.

• The application assumes compliance with permit conditions without providing evidence.
• Screening as promised was never possible, because of underground pipes.
• Important comments are missing entirely, including from the Westport Fire Department.
• The statutory clock was started without taking public testimony.
• The P&Z has chosen to interpret its jurisdiction very narrowly.

4. Hard-won transparency gains are at risk.

• Thanks to dedicated public officials and policymakers, the Westport tank project helped trigger important legislative changes (the “Take Back the Grid” Act and SB 7).
• Many of those public interest professionals have now resigned, face lawsuits, or are no longer running for re-election.
• Residents and ratepayers have won a few battles, but are at risk of losing the larger war.

5. The sale of Aquarion is a deeper crisis than expected.

• The $2.6 billion acquisition of our water system by the Regional Water Authority is now emerging as a crisis sooner and deeper than many expected.
• Aquarion’s 2022 rate case effectively ended an unsustainable business model, and Eversource ran for the door.
• Previously unknown to many of us: Representative Steinberg said that the State “guaranteed” Eversource a $200 million profit on its sale of Aquarion. This guarantee raises serious questions.

Click here for a recording of the meeting, background material and contact information.