Sewer plant upgrades must have help from federal level
On June 4, 2018, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued the city of Bridgeport a consent decree requiring steps be taken at both our west and east side water treatment plants in order to protect Long Island Sound and the health and well- being of residents.
There isn’t a single public official opposed to protecting Long Island Sound, ensuring our sewer plants are well equipped for the 21st century, and ensuring the health and welfare of our residents. However, elected officials have a responsibility to represent the interest of their severely financially overburdened constituents, business owners, nonprofits and religious institutions, which is why City Council members Michael Defilippo, Marcus Brown, Alfredo Castillo, Samia Suliman and I voted in opposition to the approval of the $ 395 million loan to upgrade our West Side treatment plant. We clearly understood approving this massive loan would absolutely increase WPCA rates by between 50 to 117 percent by 2033. Unfortunately, 14 City Council members voted in favor of this loan with one abstaining.
In October 2018, the City Council voted to pass a loan resolution totaling $ 75 million in order to finance the costs of designing, rehabilitating, upgrading and constructing the necessary improvements to both treatment plants.
Months later, on March 1, 2019, DEEP issued another consent decree regarding both of Bridgeport’s water treatment plants. One year late, March 15, 2020, the City Council was asked to approve a WPCA proposal to bond for $ 395 million for the West Side plant alone. The WPCA also intends to seek another $ 215 million for the East Side plant.
One must ask how the cost of designing, rehabilitating, upgrading and constructing both sewer treatment plants went from $ 75 million in October 2018 to $ 610 million in March 2021, just 2 ½ years later. That is an indefensible 713 percent increase.
When I contacted members of Bridgeport’s state and congressional delegation to seek
Both the state and Bridgeport just received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus dollars that could be used to partially offset these costs.
their assistance with state and federal funds, I was informed that no one from the WPCA, Mayor Ganim’s administration nor City Council leadership had contacted them seeking their assistance in finding state or federal funds in order to save residents and business owners from significant spikes in their WPCA rates. Apparently, they felt it was acceptable for overburdened WPCA rate payers to fund 100 percent of these massive projects.
I was able to ask DEEP representative Ann Straut if the second consent decree was responsible for this massive increase and she responded with a simple and direct “no.” She further stated that due to inflation, some costs may have escalated since October 2018, but not due to any requirements of the second consent decree. The WPCA is simply seeking to upgrade to a Mercedes when a Volkswagen will do. And they are trying to utilize the “consent decrees” to justify it.
WPCA Director Lauren Mappa publicly stated that the “best” case scenario is that $ 183 million may be offset by clean water fund grants; however, the DEEP representative stated “nothing is guaranteed.”
The “best case scenario” is the WPCA/ city of Bridgeport would have to apply for clean water fund loans for $ 427 million at 2 percent interest with residents and business owners having to repay $ 518.4 million over the life of the loans with $ 91.4 million in interest alone. WPCA rates would increase by 50 percent by 2027.
The “worst case scenario” is the WPCA/ city of Bridgeport would apply for clean water fund loans for the full $ 610 million at 2 percent interest with residents and business owners having to repay $ 740.6 million over the life of the loans with $ 130.6 million in interest alone. WPCA rates would increase by 66 percent by 2027. The reality is neither option is acceptable.
Bridgeport has the highest unemployment and foreclosure rate in Connecticut. We also have the highest eviction rate in New England. Every member of the City Council was aware of this when 14 of my colleagues voted to approve this massive loan resolution. This will further exacerbate the number of WPCA ratepayers that are foreclosed on or evicted. Restaurants, hair salons, car washes, hospitals and our public schools utilize significant amounts of water which will significantly increase their WPCA bills and contribute towards business closures, increased prices passed onto customers, and force schools to take precious financial resources away from classrooms to pay massive WPCA bills.
Both the state and Bridgeport just received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus dollars that could be used to partially offset these sewer plant costs, and Congress has begun working on a multitrillion- dollar infrastructure bill that will include billions of dollars for sewer- related infrastructure this summer. Therefore, this massive bond resolution for $ 395 million should simply have been tabled until our state and congressional leaders were given the opportunity to find funding to pay the vast majority of our sewer plant upgrades.
I am asking every Bridgeport and Trumbull resident and business owner to mobilize by calling your congressional delegation to share that your expectation is that they will secure federal infrastructure funds to cover these two sewer plant upgrades in order to save WPCA ratepayers.
The severely financially overburdened and hardworking residents and business owners of Bridgeport and Trumbull deserve no less.
Senator Blumenthal — 202224- 2823
Senator Murphy — 202- 2244041
Congressman Himes — 202225- 5541