Connecticut
Opinion:Sewage overflows are a call for collaboration, not conflict
When most people flush the toilet, they don’t linger to think about where it all goes.
Behind the scenes, the people running wastewater treatment plants work tirelessly on one of the most important yet underappreciated public services. Treatment systems only make headlines when things go wrong, such as in recent months when unlucky Connecticut residents have been subjected to the sights and smells of sewage floating down the Connecticut River. Incidents like these are becoming more common as aging wastewater treatment plant infrastructure struggles to keep up with increased demand.
Across Connecticut and the entire eastern United States, vital steps to replace and update our old wastewater treatment plants are underway; however, updating the pipes and buildings alone will not be enough. We must rethink the whole management structure and soon — before the problem gets much worse.
Many overflows come from an old model of combined sewage-stormwater systems. For these systems, a heavy storm can overwhelm infrastructure, leading to the release of sewage. In recent years, Connecticut has taken steps forward, moving from over a dozen combined systems down to only four; Hartford’s MDC facility is one of the remaining combined systems.
In response to recent overflow events, some Connecticut state representatives have argued that these overflows are mostly rainwater, and much of the resulting public health advice is to avoid swimming or fishing for a few days before returning to normal. This advice suggests that the effects of a sewage outflow are fleeting — which may protect us from E. coli and algal blooms — but neglects the slower, growing threat of chemical contamination.
My research focuses on chemical contamination of water in the environment. Untreated sewage often contains industrially produced chemical contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), suspected to increase risk of cancer and pregnancy complications based on studies by the National Institute of Health. After being deposited from the overflow, these chemicals degrade very slowly and can remain in the water column for decades. Each outflow event adds another drop in the bucket of chemical contamination that affects our waters, fish, and eventually, us.
The situation will only become more dire as intensified storms, rising sea levels, and increasingly common extreme weather, pushes our wastewater systems beyond their limits.
There has been finger-pointing and blame over contamination of the Connecticut river across the Connecticut and Massachusetts state line. Rather than squabbling, now is the time to focus on cross-border cooperation.
To begin, we need updated infrastructure. This is already underway and Connecticut wastewater treatment plants have made strong progress towards repairing aging systems. But the next important step is developing regional cooperation along ecological boundaries rather than political ones.
The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments offers a model for a path forward: a coalition of municipalities that allows them to prepare for the changing landscape of wastewater by creating a shared, concrete plan for infrastructure, communication, and collaboration. But rivers do not abide by our state boundaries; we must expand this coalition model to include both Connecticut and Massachusetts. We can treat this issue the same way we handle threats to the Long Island Sound, as a team.
We are already investing billions of dollars into updating our wastewater infrastructure. Now is the time to rethink how we manage our collective wastewater systems — together. Consequences of these overflows remain far longer than the wastewater itself. Nothing we flush away ever really disappears, and neither will the consequences of our inaction.
Fiona Quin Zabel lives in Willimantic.
Connecticut
CT Weather: Initial Snow Accumulation Estimates Released: Here’s When, How Much To Expect
Meteorologists are predicting the next storm system in Connecticut could bring a couple inches of snow this weekend.
WTNH reports snow will start late Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning.
“There is pretty good agreement with light snow amounts statewide with up to around 2″ expected,” WTNH says.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB reports long-range models have been “all over the place with the development of a coastal storm.”
According to WFSB, some show the system moving to the south of Connecticut, which would make the impact on weekend plans “minimal.” Another model, however, shows a greater impact on Connecticut, which could mean a “coating to an inch” of snow, WFSB reports.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB as of Thursday also predicts the timing would be late Saturday night through Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service as of Thursday has increased the odds of snow in this weekend timeframe to 50 percent, up from 30 percent.
In the short term, it is going to be very windy today.
The National Weather Service has advisories for northern and southern parts of Connecticut due to high winds, with possible gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
Today, Friday and daytime Saturday will be clear and dry, according to the National Weather Service, with high temperatures starting in the low to mid-30s and gradually warming.
“Saturday is the pick of the weekend, as it will be dry and relatively milder,” WFSB reports. “While we could start bright, cloud cover will be on the increase with temps that peak between 35 and 40. Sunday will be colder as temps only reach the upper 20s and lower 30s.”
The National Weather Service indicates the chance for snow begins around midnight Saturday.
Read More:
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: A chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Snow likely after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 33.
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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — An emergency room doctor at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain just returned to Connecticut after running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents — including Antarctica.
Dr. Lisa Bienia Kenton just finished running 183.4 miles in seven days to raise money for her niece and nephew who have a chromosomal disorder. Covering that much ground in just a week doesn’t allow for much time to sleep.
“We average about three hours a night,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So, 21 hours we slept total for the seven days.”
It’s called the Great World Race. 60 runners started in Antarctica, then South Africa, then Australia, then the United Arab Emirates, then Portugal, then Colombia and finished in Miami.
“In Antarctica, it was -30°C with a 30 mile an hour wind chill,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So that was by far the most grueling and kind of gnarly things we experienced. Like, sometimes you don’t even know if you’re moving forward.”
Dr. Bienia Kenton is part of an elite group of female runners — only 166 have run a marathon on every continent and only a fraction of them have done it in seven days.
“I met a lot of great, strong women,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “A lot of moms, same demographic as me, and we kind of just powered each other through.”
She had support from her husband and sons, who encouraged her to do the race. She trained by running to her son’s baseball games and around the field before returning home. She said her husband got her time off work to run the race after talking to her boss, who met her in Miami and ran the last marathon with her.
She said the experience of running the Great World Race left her body bruised, but it changed her life.
“I left there with this life, inner self or inner feeling of confidence, like I can tackle the world,” she said. “And maybe that’s going to wear off over time, but right now I’m riding that high.”
STAMFORD, CONN. – A growing pile of garbage near the Stamford train station in Connecticut is raising concerns among commuters and local authorities.
What we know:
Metro North riders have noticed the unsightly accumulation of trash, including mattresses, couches and clothing, just north of the station.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) told FOX 5 NY‘s Richard Giacovas that it is aware of the situation, suggesting it reflects someone’s living conditions rather than illegal dumping.
Efforts to address the issue
According to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, state law imposes a $219 fine for dumping items larger than one cubic foot.
Additionally, vehicles used for dumping can be confiscated, and offenders may face arrest. The state can also sue for cleanup costs, with fines reaching up to $25,000 a day.
The city of Stamford’s highways department actively tackles illegal dumping and offers legal disposal options, such as the Katrina Mygatt Recycling Center and the Scale House, where residents can dispose of up to 200 pounds of material daily for free.
What they’re saying:
A spokesperson for the Connecticut DOT said that local and state agencies are collaborating to relocate individuals found living at the site and to provide essential services.
Plans are underway to outsource the cleanup to a third party, especially if hazardous materials like needles are present, the DOT said.
The Source: Information from FOX 5’s exclusive report and statements from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
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