Anti-pollution regulations in Connecticut are working, according to a state watchdog agency, but conservation efforts that rely solely on public investment lag.
And as usual, most of the 900 pollution violations cited in 2015 were at facilities that store or distribute gasoline and oil, typically gas stations and convenience stores, the Council on Environmental Quality’s annual report states.
The agency, which operates independently of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says that global climate change, rising sea levels, and invasive species from other countries, are also affecting conservation of open space and woodland wildlife.
There were clear patterns this year, says council Chairwoman Susan Merrow.
Primarily, those that enjoy environmental regulation protection, such as bald eagles and ospreys, have responded well, while other marsh-nesting birds are declining due to rising sea levels.
And while Connecticut is benefiting from the federal Clean Water and Clean Air acts, a discouraging pattern shows that when left up to public investment alone, the state’s environmental health suffers, the report states.
In her letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy presenting the report, Merrow also notes that sprawling development is leading to declines in contiguous forestland that birds and other wildlife depend on.
Also, land conservation is proceeding on too slow a pace to meet the state’s goal of conserving 10 percent of its land, or 321,000 acres of parks, forest, and wildlife management areas, by 2023.
Last year, the state acquired 1,807 acres, far more than the 10-year average. More than half of that is a preserve mostly in Old Saybrook that’s jointly owned with the town. To stay on track to reach the state goal, the state and municipalities need to acquire about 7,900 acres per year, the report states.
Air quality in 2015 wasn’t as healthy as prior years due to moderate drought combined with extreme cold and heat, and was slightly worse than the preceding year. If not for the surge in heat last summer, Connecticut’s air quality days would have been better than 2014, the report states.
The heat and drought caused some streams to dry up by autumn, but overall, water health at coastal beaches improved, the report shows.
Furthermore, a global fungal disease apparently from Europe has nearly destroyed Connecticut’s cave-dwelling bats, and lobsters also appear to be gone from Long Island Sound, the report states.
The number of lobsters caught in 2015 was the lowest ever, with researchers focusing on a number of possible effects include disease and human impacts.
But to date, data suggests the most likely cause is warmer water temperatures.
Recovery in the bat population will be slow, as they only produce one pup per year, the report notes.
Moreover, invasive plants and wildlife are “on the verge of altering the state’s forests and waterways forever,” but little is being done to address these “titanic” changes, Merrow adds.
The nine-member agency, which by statute is required to recommend to the governor and the General Assembly legislation to remedy shortcomings in state programs and activities, also investigated resident complaints throughout 2015 including:
- Contamination of land and groundwater in Haddam
- The state’s proposed new firearms training facility that appears to be inconsistent with its Conservation and Development Policies Plan
- DEEP’s insignificant settlement for an encroachment on state forestland that had no public hearing
- Excessive tree clearing along state highways
