CONNECTICUT \u2014 State lawmakers whose districts border the Connecticut River say they are continuing their fight against upriver pollution.<\/p>\n
State Representatives Tami Zawistowski and Devin Carney sent a letter in August to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mark Sanborn, asking for his help to prevent Massachusetts and other upriver states from discharging sewage and other pollutants into the river.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen these discharges occur, you can actually see some of the solid waste from untreated sewage floating down with the current,\u201d lawmakers said<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lawmakers asserted such discharges pose significant health and environmental risks to downstream communities, including in Connecticut. The discharges are particularly a problem following major rain events, according to lawmakers.<\/p>\n They gave an example of Holyoke<\/a>, Massachusetts in July discharging<\/a> millions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater. <\/p>\n Zawistowski\u2019s district includes Suffield, East Granby, and Windsor Locks, while Carney\u2019s district encompasses Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.<\/p>\n Sanborn responded to lawmakers in a Sept. 18 letter, indicating the EPA has spent a \u201csignificant amount of time and resources\u201d to work with all communities, including in Connecticut, to address these issues in a robust and timely manner.<\/p>\n He indicated the EPA has been working with Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke for many years, and all have made significant reductions in their annual CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) discharge volumes. <\/p>\n \u201cAll three communities are working under enforcement actions signed with EPA and (the Department of Justice) to further reduce the volume of sewage mixed with stormwater that is discharged from their systems,\u201d Sanborn wrote. <\/p>\n He indicated the communities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars towards infrastructure improvements that have reduced these discharges.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we have made progress in reducing CSO discharges, a significant amount of work remains,\u201d Sanborn wrote. \u201cEPA has been, and will continue to be, focused on this issue. We will continue to work with all communities and our state partners to reduce, and where possible eliminate, CSO discharges.\u201d<\/p>\n