PRESS  RELEASE
September 8, 2006

United States Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice Consent Decree Officially Entered In New Haven Federal Court

            HARTFORD – The consent agreement between the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United States Department of Justice and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection regarding sanitary sewer overflows has been officially signed and entered in U.S. District Court in New Haven.

            The agreement requires the MDC to implement a comprehensive, system-wide plan to eliminate all sanitary sewer overflows within 12 years.

Sanitary sewer overflows are caused by excessive “inflow and infiltration,” or seepage of ground water into the sewer pipes through leaking joints, direct connections, breaks and cracks caused by tree roots, and surface water storm drains and holes in manholes. Other major sources are rain leaders from gutters and basement sump pumps that are now considered illegal discharges into the sanitary sewer system. When the flow of sewage and clean water exceeds the sewer’s capacity, the sewage overflows at eight structural locations into adjacent streams.  Of the eight overflows, two are in West Hartford, Newington and Rocky Hill, while Wethersfield and Windsor have one each.

Under the terms of the consent agreement, the MDC is required to eliminate the overflows in Windsor, Wethersfield and Rocky Hill within five to seven years. Because of the number, complexity and volume of the sewage overflows in West Hartford and Newington, the District was authorized to complete elimination of these overflows in 10 to 12 years.

            Eliminating the inflow and infiltration will involve inspection and analysis of more than 700 miles of sewers. TV inspections, smoke testing and flow monitoring to identify and locate sources of extraneous water entering the sewers will be performed. Based upon these studies, rehabilitation and repair work will be performed. These improvements will include: lining existing sewers, constructing new sanitary and storm sewers, and providing additional treatment capacity to handle the increased flows during storms.

A non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929, the MDC supplies water and sewer services to its eight member municipalities:  Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor -- and to portions of other towns in the region.