State Senators stand together to protect New Haven harbor

Senators Looney & Fasano say plan to dump toxic dredging waste in New Harbor should be stopped, applaud protest set for Sunday

Hartford, CT – Senator Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven / Hamden) and Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven) stand together and applaud New Haven area environmentalists and residents- who will be teaming up this holiday weekend to protest a plan considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dump toxic sludge from Bridgeport Harbor into New Haven harbor.

“Morris Cove, a section on the edge of the New Haven harbor, should be protected,” said Senator Fasano. “Families use the cove as a recreational space to swim, boat and fish. If we allow toxic fill to be dumped there we are neglecting our responsibility to protect residents and the environment.”

“The cove’s shoreline has parks, historic sites, and environmental treasures and it is not an appropriate place for this dumping to occur,” said Senator Looney. “New Haven residents are understandably appalled and we pledge to ensure that this proposal never gains momentum.”

Residents, city and state officials have been concerned for years about contamination exposure, and potential for flooding if 250,000 cubic yards of toxic fill from the dredging of Bridgeport Harbor is dumped into the Morris Cove section of New Haven harbor.

The dredging in Bridgeport is being proposed because the harbor channels have not been cleaned out since the 1960’s and shippers have had difficulty unloading goods.

Senator’s Looney and Fasano understand the shallow harbor conditions in Bridgeport can make it difficult to do business, but a solution they say should not have to involve the residents of the Morris Cove.

Both lawmakers are encouraging the Army Corp of Engineers – the group charged with carrying out the Bridgeport Harbor Project – to seek other options. They’ll also reach out to DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty and the Malloy Administration to research potential solutions. Gov. Malloy has previously expressed his opposition to this proposed solution to the Bridgeport problem.

On Sunday at 2 pm boaters will be joining a flotilla to protest the plan to dump toxic dredging waste into Morris Cove. The group is expected to meet near the seawall on Townsend Avenue. For more information log onto nhpower.yolasite.com

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