Advocacy
The Norwalk River Watershed Association serves as a guardian of the watershed, voicing concerns about threats to the area’s environment through pollution, development, and legislation. NRWA submits comments and suggestions on proposed development or new regulations that affect the watershed at the local, state and federal levels.
NRWA's Goals for Policy Protecting Water
Goal # 1: Restrict & Monitor toxic PFAS Chemicals to protect drinking water, human health and the environment by...
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Banning the use of this class of chemicals in fire fighting foam, where not required by the Federal Government (Accomplished!)
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Limiting their use in food packaging and food service wear.
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Funding and expanding monitoring of drinking water sources and other high risk sites for PFAS
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Establishing a health-protective minimum contaminant level (MCL) for the entire class of PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
The acronym PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals that have been and are presently used for a variety of purposes. Most notably, they are found in non-stick, water, stain and grease-resistant products. PFAS are commonly used and highly dangerous. The use of long-chain PFAS in the U.S. is being phased out due to an increased awareness of their harmful effects, yet, the short-chain versions -- or those with a smaller number of carbon fluorine bonds -- are still actively used in consumer products. More... Dupont and spinoff Chemours have developed a new version of PFAS chemicals called GenX which they claim are safe. This paper reports on studies that challenge that claim. It also reports on finding the new chemical in pristine waters of the Arctic. We need to act to stop the spread of GenX AND PFAS in the environment. Last year the FDA Announces Voluntary Agreement with Manufacturers to Phase Out Certain Short-Chain PFAS Used in Food Packaging. This is good news, but the entire class of PFAS chemicals needs to be banned in food packaging, so we still need to push for that legislatively in CT. "The FDA's announcement is good but leaves out other short chain PFAS chemicals and new variations of PFAS chemicals that can be added to products. This is a very common tactic of the chemical industry, so pushing hard to regulate the whole class eliminates this problem of 'regrettable substitutions,' " explains Anne Hulick of Clean Water Action.
Goal # 2: Keep plastic out of our rivers and Long Island Sound.
In 2021, CT updated the decades-old Bottle Bill to help keep plastic out of the ocean. We will now keep millions of bottles and cans out of Connecticut’s parks, beaches, and streets every year at no cost to taxpayers by adding perfectly recyclable juice, sports, and energy drinks, as well as tea containers, to our current bottle bill. We also increased the container deposit, a change that will boost Connecticut’s bottle redemption rate, which is the lowest in the country.
With our recycling system broken and plastic pollution a growing problem worldwide, it is important that we updated our bottle bill.
We Still Need to Limit the Use of Polystyrene. Anyone who has joined us at our annual river cleanup at Oyster Shell Park has seen the millions of bits of styrofoam, mainly from discarded food packaging, that cover the banks. Enough is enough.
Goal # 3: Pass Pesticide Legislation to Protect People & Pollinators
Several towns in Connecticut have passed regulations to regulate applications of pesticides. Plainville, Essex, Roxbury, and Greenwich have banned glyphosate. Norwalk, Stamford and Branford have banned the use of pesticides on municipal property. NRWA helped advocate for Norwalk’s ban on pesticide use on municipal property which went into effect at the end of 2022.
NRWA is also the lead organizer CT Pesticide Reform, a coalition of individuals and over 45 Connecticut conservation organizations advocating for reductions in the use of pesticides and transparency for the public and policy makers around which pesticides are being used, in what quantities, and where in the state.
This group spearheaded to the passage of a Connecticut bill in 2025 to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on lawns, golf courses, and other turf grass. Neonics are linked to massive declines in pollinators, birds, and the insects that support our river ecosystems as well as harms to human health. More needs to be done, though. The CT law falls short of laws in neighboring New York, Vermont, New Jersey and Maine. Our law exempts use on shrubs, trees, and treated agricultural seeds. NRWA is working to strengthen this law. Neonicotinoids are in the Norwalk River at levels deadly to insect life.
NRWA helped pass a ban on the use of Chlorpyrifos on golf courses in CT in 2022. CT Pesticide Reform found that 80% of the use of this harmful chemical was occurring on golf courses and worked to ban that use. Dow’s pesticide chlorpyrifos has devastating impacts on our health, children’s developing brains, and our environment. The pesticide, part of a class of chemicals developed for nerve gas by Nazi Germany, has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease and lung cancer. Chlorpyrifos was banned for home use in 2000. After years of study, the EPA determined that there are no safe levels of exposure and was set to ban all uses of this pesticide in 2015. However, the Trump administration later reversed the decision. Read More... Future goals include helping pass a law requiring a searchable database of pesticide use in Connecticut, advocating for increased staffing and support of CT DEEP's Pesticide Division, and restrictions on a common lawn pesticide, chlorantraniliprole, used to kill grubs, that is extremely toxic to shellfish, oysters and butterflies. Follow these issues at CTPesticideReform.org. According to CT DEEP’s data, farms only account for 10.8% of chlorpyrifos used. Golf courses account for 86% of chlorpyrifos use in CT, totaling more than 590 gallons in 2019—here’s a list of where it was used in 2018 and 2019. (Tara Cook-Littman, a concerned mom and member of the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway, filed a request through the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to the boxes of pesticide applications in Hartford, and that is how we have this list. Dupont and spinoff Chemours have developed a new version of PFAS chemicals called GenX which they claim are safe. This paper reports on studies that challenge that claim. It also reports on finding the new chemical in pristine waters of the Arctic. We need to act to stop the spread of GenX AND PFAS in the environment. Last year the FDA Announces Voluntary Agreement with Manufacturers to Phase Out Certain Short-Chain PFAS Used in Food Packaging. This is good news, but the entire class of PFAS chemicals needs to be banned in food packaging, so we still need to push for that legislatively in CT. "The FDA's announcement is good but leaves out other short chain PFAS chemicals and new variations of PFAS chemicals that can be added to products. This is a very common tactic of the chemical industry, so pushing hard to regulate the whole class eliminates this problem of 'regrettable substitutions,' " explains Anne Hulick of Clean Water Action.
Letters of Support
NRWA writes to support local and state clean water and habitat. We often send letters of support for pending legislation and if you would like to see some past examples here:
Letters of Support
SB 120 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF CHLORPYRIFOS ON GOLF COURSES AND NEONICOTINOIDS FOR NONAGRICULTURAL USE. SB 240 AAC THE USE OF SODIUM CHLORIDE TO MITIGATE SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS HB 5143 AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN OFFICE OF AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES is another bill important bill for protecting our rivers. Pictured right is the hugely problematic invasive plant hydrilla in the Connecticut River. A letter of support for this bill from our friends at Rivers Alliance. SB 117 AN ACT CONCERNING TREE REMOVAL ON PROPERTIES UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. To improve transparency and establish standards for the removal of trees and shrubs that constitute an immediate public hazard at state parks and campgrounds. Important testimony. HB 5140 AN ACT CONCERNING THE HAND-HARVESTING OF HORSESHOE CRABS IN THE STATE. To prohibit the hand-harvesting of horseshoe crabs from the waters and shoreline of the state in order to protect the horseshoe crab population. Important testimony about the bill. SB 239 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE USE OF CERTAIN RODENTICIDES FOR THE PROTECTION OF HAWKS, RAPTORS AND OTHER WILDLIFE. To prohibit the use of certain rodenticides in locations such as state parks and forests for the protection of hawks, raptors and other wildlife that feed upon such rodents. Testimony from the Humane Society. SB 926 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF PFAS IN CERTAIN CONSUMER PACKAGING. S.B. 837 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN CLASS B FIREFIGHTING FOAM. S.B. 1037: An Act Concerning Solid Waste Management SUPPORT A BILL TO END PESTICIDE PREEMPTION IN CT 2022 Letter to Norwalk Recreation & Parks Opposing Plans to Install Artificial Turf Fields Next to Norwalk River 2022 Written Comments Dept. Public Health Scoping of Grupes Dam rehabilitation project (New Canaan) 2022 Use of Pesticides at Wilton’s Parks and near Norwalk River 2022 Testimony in support of SB120 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF CHLORPYRIFOS ON GOLF COURSES AND NEONICOTINOIDS FOR NONAGRICULTURAL USE 2022 Testimony in support SB 240 AAC THE USE OF SODIUM CHLORIDE TO MITIGATE SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS-SUPPORT Group Letter NRWA has signed on to. NRWA's letter from 2020 Comments on the NRCS Proposal to Remove Dam #2 (at the Fox Hill Condos) on the Norwalk River in Ridgefield Comments on SB 301 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF CHLORPYRIFOS and SB 292 AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND PESTICIDE REGULATION IN THE STATE. Comments on HB 5340 concerning updating the bottle bill in 2020 Comments on SB 297 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN CLASS B FIREFIGHTING FOAM. Comments on proposed revisions to District Water Supply and Sewer Ordinances, February 24, 2020 Testimony in support of SB 99 to restrict the use and distribution of polystyrene products across the state. February 18, 2020 Comments on proposed draft modifications to the General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater and Dewatering Wastewaters from Construction Activities. February 18, 2020 Letter to Wilton Inland Wetland Commission regarding plans for development near wetlands at 200 Danbury Road. Letter protesting the overfishing of menhaden by Omega Protein in Virginia Letter advocating for the protection of Norden Place conservation easement Letter protesting overfishing that threatens striped bass populations in the Sound Letter supporting the Weston plastic bag ban and fee on paper bags Letter supporting HB 76 regarding pesticide use autonomy by municipalities Letter supporting a bill to support the transfer of brownfields designated as special taxing districts (like Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill) Letter supporting the 2019 bill to ban fracking waste state-wide Letter supporting a pilot program allowing towns to raise money for open space using a 1% conveyance fee Letter opposing MDC proposal for discounted or reduced rates for large volume water users Letter to PURA Regarding the Proposed Sale of CT Water Service to San Jose Water Group Letter, which went to both Senator Murphy and Blumenthal, to oppose any legislation in the Senate that would weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), including S. 1520 (the so-called “Modern Fish Act”). Letter to Gov. Cuomo of New York regarding the proposed sale of Plum Island Comments on the proposed redevelopment of ASML property at 77 Danbury Road, Wilton Comments on the proposed development of Wilton Heights at 300 Danbury Road, Wilton Suggestions for Norwalk POCD 2018 Suggestions for Wilton POCD 2018 Comments Opposing SB 427: AN ACT CONCERNING PUBLIC TRUST COMPONENTS OF THE STATE WATER PLAN, March 2018 Comments Supporting Charter Revision In Ridgefield Establishing Independent Inland Wetlands Board, March 2018 Comments Opposed to Federal Plans for Oil and Gas Drilling Offshore of CT, March 2018 Comments in Support of Banning Mosquito Misters, March 2018 Comments in Support of SB 103 A Bill To Ban Fracking Waste from CT, February 2018 WPC Draft State Water Plan, November 2017 CT DOT Plans for Redesigning the Route 7/Route 15 Interchange in Norwalk, October 2017 PURA Proposed acquisition of Aquarion Water by Eversource Energy, September 2017 CT DOT Walk Bridge Project, December 2016 CT DEEP Re: Proposed selection of the Norwalk River and the Norwalk Harbor embayment as candidates for water quality restoration work as part of Connecticut’s Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, June 2016
Contact Information for Elected Officials
House Democrats – (860) 240-8500
House Republicans – (860) 240-8700
Senate Democrats – (860) 240-8600
Senate Republicans – (860) 240-8800
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