TRUMBULL – Municipal leaders representing several southwestern Connecticut municipalities reiterated their opposition to the proposed $2.4 billion sale of Aquarion Water Co. one week before a crucial Nov. 19 vote by the state regulator.
A bipartisan mix of politicians were joined by state Attorney General William Tong Monday during a press conference at Long Hill Administration building. They raised concerns to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) over the proposed sale of Aquarion Water from Eversource to a new public authority: the Aquarion Water Authority (AWA), which would operate alongside the Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA). The coalition of 26 municipalities cite potential increases in water rates, loss of local control, and reduced municipal revenues.
Dan Onofrio, President of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, emphasized the economic impact.
“Our member companies are gravely concerned about this transaction, particularly the loss of PURA oversight,” Onofrio said. “The proposed Representative Policy Board is not a legitimate substitute, and projected rate increases could reach 65% by 2035.”
Trumbull First Selectman Vicki Tesoro, a Democrat, was one of four elected municipal leaders to speak.
“We are here to shed light on a deal that removes essential oversight, shifts control from local communities to a New Haven-based board, and threatens both water rates and local tax revenues,” said Tesoro.”
Democratic Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi highlighted concerns about how the sale came together through the help of state legislation as well as the regulatory oversight of the new quasi-public entity.
“This deal was rushed through during a special legislative session with no public hearings, no town votes, and no meaningful input from the communities it affects,” Marconi said. “PURA oversight, which protects consumers from unreasonable rate hikes and service lapses, would disappear under the proposed Aquarion Water Authority. Residents, not investors, will bear the risk.”
State Republican leaders issued their own statement calling for the rejection of the Aquarion change in control application. “The 50-page special session legislation that led us to this point was only released hours before we voted on it,” said Sen. Tony Hwang, Sen. Jason Perillo, Sen. Ryan Fazio and Sen. Stephen Harding. “We were shocked to see many Democrat lawmakers vote ‘yes’, even though they opposed the deal.”
Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick, a Republican, addressed the potential local fiscal impact.
“Aquarion currently contributes millions in property taxes that fund our schools, roads, and public safety,” she said. “Under the new authority, those payments would be replaced by PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes), which are capped, unreliable, and don’t rise with system upgrades. Our towns stand to lose millions each year, shifting more of the burden onto local taxpayers.”
Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, a Republican, emphasized governance concerns.
“The new AWA board would be dominated by New Haven appointees, leaving our communities with less voice and less accountability,” Lauretti said. “Local decisions about our most essential resource — water — would be made far from the towns that rely on it.”
The four official intervenors in the PURA approval process are Fairfield, Ridgefield and Stratford and Westport.
Officials also noted Aquarion’s strong record of service, environmental stewardship, and infrastructure investment, which they argue is superior to RWA’s system. Aquarion invests twice as much per customer as RWA and maintains 73% of its 21,000 acres as permanently protected land.
