Two recent major reports highlight the extent to which New England is vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change.

 

The National Climate Assessment, published in November,  includes a focus on socioeconomic impacts in the Northeast. The warming ocean, sea level rise, and ocean acidification expected as climate change progresses threaten the region's commerce, tourism, and recreation. Meanwhile, "Major negative impacts on critical infrastructure, urban economies, and nationally significant historic sites are already occurring and will become more common with a changing climate." Projected health impacts include "additional deaths, emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and a lower quality of life."

 

So far the globe has warmed about 1.8◦ F.  A report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published in October, examines the changes the planet will experience if, as expected, warming surpasses the 2.7◦ F milestone and reaches the 3.6◦ F milestone.

 

The human and natural systems most impacted by this warming are tropical or arctic (e.g., warm-water corals), but impacts will be felt across the mid-latitudes as well. The report foresees "severe and widespread" effects through degradation to terrestrial ecosystems and increases in coastal flooding and river flooding. It also reports significant impacts on crop yields and tourism.

FloodIQ.com provides graphic evidence of threats to Connecticut's shoreline communities as sea level rises. The searchable tool shows how communities large and small, from Mystic to Greenwich, face greater risk of tidal flooding and storm surges over the next 15 years.

DEEP Selects Zero-Carbon Energy Projects in CT, ME, and NH

The procurement was authorized in Public Act 17-3 in June 2017.

2019 National Clean Diesel DERA Program

Approximately $1 million in funds from the U.S. EPA is available for communities, local conservation groups, and other organizations to improve water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams that are not meeting water quality standards.

The funding, administered by DEEP, comes from Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act, which is a federal program to control nonpoint sources (NPS) of water pollution.  Common NPS pollutants include:  bacteria, nutrients, sediment, salt, petroleum products, heavy metals, pesticides, and debris.  These pollutants are typically carried by stormwater runoff into streams, lakes, and estuaries from diffuse land use and other activities that are not regulated as point source discharges. Previous grants have supported projects for dam removals, conservation practices on farms, and treatments of polluted runoff.

Proposals may be submitted by any interested public or private organization and must be received by April 3, 2019.  Additional details and application information.

Annual compliance reports required under the General Permit to Limit Potential to Emit (GPLPE) and Title V Permit programs are due by March 1, 2019. In an effort to increase efficiency, the necessary compliance forms are available for submission electronically through DEEP's EMIT system and are mandatory for GPLPE compliance reporting and submission of Title V Emission Statements. Title V Annual Compliance Certifications and Semi-Annual Monitoring Reports are available for electronic submittal; however, electronic submittal of these reports for calendar year 2018 is not mandatory.

 

Please note, there are new EMIT sign-in procedures for this reporting period. EMIT is now accessed through the DEEP ezFile Portal and includes a user self-management interface that gives users the ability to create an ezFile account, find their account name, reset their password and change their challenge questions. For further information, contact Jared Millay in the Compliance Analysis and Coordination Unit or visit DEEP's ezFile Help website .

Brownfield Redevelopment Breathes New Life into Historic Windsor Locks Mill

Montgomery Mill in Windsor Locks manufactured yarn, tinsel, and electric wire from 1871 until it closed in 1989.  Boston-based Beacon Communities, LLC acquired the vacant mill in December 2017. Beacon Communities has been cleaning up contaminated soil and hazardous building materials on the site and is redeveloping the mill into 160 rental apartments, including a mix of market rate and affordable units. The project is expected to be complete by early summer 2019.

Electronic Waste Recycling 

Since 2011, Connecticut's E-Waste Recycling Program has recycled over 122 million pounds of unwanted consumer electronics, saved municipalities over $5.5 million in avoided disposal costs, approved 165 collection locations statewide, and created 85 recycling jobs, including 72 in Connecticut. (2018 Report on CT's E-Waste Recycling Program)

 

Under state law, unwanted covered electronic devices, also known as electronic waste (e-waste), are banned from trash disposal. Municipalities are required to provide free, convenient and accessible drop-off locations for computers, monitors, printers, and televisions.  Municipalities and/or their regional authorities have agreements with DEEP-approved electronics recyclers who safely manage the e-waste. Electronics manufacturers pay the collection and recycling costs, DEEP's administrative costs, and there is no charge to towns or residents.  

 

For several years DEEP has implemented a recycling enforcement initiative to address noncompliance with Connecticut's recycling laws, including conducting over 350 inspections and issuing over 75 Notices of Violation.  On January 14, 2019, DEEP issued a consent order to Samuel Hecht and nine Limited Liability Companies owned or controlled by Mr. Hecht after observing a pattern of noncompliance with Connecticut's recycling law. Specifically, the Respondents failed to provide for mandatory recycling services at nine multi-tenant housing locations in New Britain and New Haven.

The consent order requires the Respondents to:

• Identify all multi-tenant housing locations in Connecticut owned, operated, or managed, wholly or in part by the Respondents;
• Establish compliant recycling programs at all such locations;
• Develop and administer a comprehensive outreach and education program for all tenants; and
• Hire an independent qualified consultant to visually inspect such locations following program implementation to verify compliance with Connecticut's recycling laws.  

The consent order also requires the payment of a $9,945 civil penalty.

   
For further information on this enforcement action or the recycling enforcement initiative, contact Kevin Barrett or call 860-424-3697.

EPA Passes Final Rule on Management of Pharmaceutical Waste

On December 11, 2018, US EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a final rule establishing new federal requirements for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.  The final rule should be published in the Federal Register sometime soon, although publication will likely be delayed as a result of the federal government shutdown.   

 

A pre-publication copy of the final rule and other information is available on the  EPA's web page on the new rule .  Please note that, with the exception of one provision, this new federal rule will not go into effect in Connecticut until such time as DEEP amends its hazardous waste rules to adopt it.  The one exception is the new provision in the rule that imposes a ban on the sewering of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.  That provision will go into effect nationwide on the effective date of the new rule.

As required by Public Act 18-181, DEEP convened a working group last fall to look at establishing a public awareness campaign concerning synthetic microfiber pollution. Microfibers are released from garments, such as fleece jackets, containing synthetic materials. These microfibers are too small to be captured by wastewater treatment plant technology and eventually are released into rivers and the ocean through a number of routes, the best known being when clothes are washed. Their impact on human health and aquatic ecosystems is still being researched, but the scientific consensus is that these releases need to be reduced or eliminated.  

 

Some of the issues addressed include how best to educate the public about the release of microfibers and what they can do to reduce the amount released to the environment, as well as the need for continued research and industry initiatives to deal with this emerging issue.

Learn more: DEEP's microfiber pollution webpage.  

DEEP may issue a Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) Approval for the beneficial use of a solid waste in a manufacturing process to make a product or as an effective substitute for a commercial product.

Urban Mining CT, LLC (Urban Mining) was issued a Beneficial Use Determination to process glass to be used primarily as pozzolan in the manufacturing of concrete.

Pozzolan is a finely-ground glass material that, when mixed in hydrated Portland cement, becomes cementitious. In addition to using pozzolan in concrete, it can be used in other products such as industrial fillers in paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, inks, polymers, plastics, and other materials. Urban Mining will receive post-consumer glass primarily from material recovery facilities in Connecticut and surrounding states, diverting it from landfills while increasing reuse and transforming waste into a valuable resource.

View additional information regarding the application and approval of beneficial use.

Towns, businesses, and conservation organizations are encouraged to install and maintain monofilament fishing line recycling receptacles at local waterbodies or waterways where fishing is a popular activity. DEEP, along with the Menunkatuck and Connecticut Audubon Societies, have already installed recycling receptacles at more than 30 inland and coastal fishing sites around the state to keep waste line out of the environment.

Carelessly discarded fishing line can seriously harm or kill wildlife. Animals can become entangled in, or ingest, the line, which can cause starvation, strangulation, and deep wounding. Materials needed to construct the receptacles are inexpensive and only a minimal amount of time is needed to maintain the receptacles and collect the waste line. The collected line is sent to a company that recycles it to make underwater habitat structures for fish. To learn more about building and maintaining a fishing line recycling receptacle, please contact DEEP Wildlife Division biologist Brian Hess at brian.hess@ct.gov.

Municipalities Invited to April Conference on Volunteer-Based Water Monitoring

On Friday, April 5th, DEEP, in collaboration with municipal and NGO partners, will host an all-day conference on volunteer-based water monitoring at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT. Municipal officials and commissioners are encouraged to attend!  

Releasing Helium Balloons and Sky Lanterns is Harmful to Wildlife . . . and Can Be Illegal   

The 13th Annual Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources (CCNR) is a multidisciplinary conference bringing together individuals working with natural resource and environmental management in Connecticut to share research, information, and ideas. It is scheduled for March 18, 2019 (snow date is March 19, 2019) at UCONN, Storrs Campus. Registration is now open. The conference is for all those working with the environment and natural resources through state and federal government, academia, non- governmental organizations, and the engaged public whom might belong to and volunteer with non-governmental organizations, place-based conservation organizations, and local government committees.

Spring in Connecticut comes with a variety of issues related to wildlife. Following are some tips to avoid conflicts between people and wild animals.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request an accommodation contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov