Connecticut lawmakers are considering changes to the enabling legislation that set the stage for Aquarion Water Co.’s proposed $2.4 billion sale, with a public hearing on the measure scheduled for Tuesday as regulators work toward a final ruling on the deal.
Connecticut lawmakers are considering changes to the enabling legislation that set the stage for Aquarion Water Co.’s proposed $2.4 billion sale, with a public hearing on the measure scheduled for Tuesday as regulators work toward a final ruling on the deal.
House Bill 5249, introduced by state Rep. Joe Gresko, a Stratford Democrat, would amend the charter of the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) to give the Aquarion Water Authority (AWA) greater representation on the shared board that has been at the center of the deal’s regulatory challenges.
The bill would boost AWA’s representation on the board, giving it a six-seat majority — up from five under current law — while reducing the RWA’s representation from six of the 11 seats to five.
When PURA unanimously
rejected the sale on Nov. 19, 2025, it found the shared board structure “unworkable,” concluding that board members would face irreconcilable fiduciary conflicts between AWA and the RWA. Regulators also found that 30 of the 59 municipalities in AWA’s territory would have held weighted votes of zero, effectively giving them no voice in policy decisions.
PURA is now operating under a court-ordered remand following a Jan. 15 ruling by New Britain Superior Court Judge Matthew Budzik, who found the regulator had illegally blocked governance structures mandated by the legislature.
PURA has set a March 25 deadline for its final decision. The authority will issue a proposed final decision March 6, accept written exceptions through March 11 and hear oral arguments March 16 before issuing its final ruling.
The legislature passed Public Act 24-1 during a June 2024 special session, creating the framework for transferring Aquarion — Connecticut’s largest water utility, serving about 695,000 customers across 57 municipalities — to a newly formed nonprofit quasi-public entity. Eversource announced the $2.4 billion deal, consisting of $1.6 billion in cash and $800 million in assumed debt, in January 2025.
The proceedings have been further complicated by an appeal filed Feb. 5 by four Fairfield County towns and two regional planning groups challenging Budzik’s remand order in the state Appellate Court.
The Energy and Technology Committee’s public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Tuesday.
