As co-chairs of Connecticut’s Government Oversight Committee and representatives of the communities served by Aquarion Water, we are deeply concerned about the proposed sale of Aquarion to a regional water authority (RWA).
This deal, rushed through with limited public input, threatens the independent oversight and consumer protections that have long safeguarded our state’s water supply. It is a bad deal for Aquarion customers and should not move forward.
PURA, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, is the body currently reviewing this proposed transaction. While PURA has a vital role in evaluating such deals, this proposal would fundamentally limit the agency’s ability to ensure that Aquarion customers continue to receive fair rates, reliable service, and meaningful opportunities for input.
The proposed governance and decision-making structures would create a system in which local customers are marginalized, leaving PURA with no influence over key operational and financial decisions, including the setting of rates.
PURA is more than a regulatory body — it is a consumer protection lifeline. Its Customer Affairs Resolution Center allows residents to resolve complaints and hold utilities accountable. Any arrangement that reduces PURA’s oversight effectively diminishes the avenues for recourse available to Aquarion customers, weakening protections against arbitrary rate hikes, service disruptions or poorly considered infrastructure decisions.
The proposed governance structure also marginalizes the voices of Aquarion customers. Under the plan, the RWA would appoint six members to the management board, while the new Aquarion Authority would appoint only five, despite Aquarion serving a larger customer base and managing significant assets.
A 59-person Representative Policy Board (RPB) would make key decisions on rates and potentially other matters, yet 30 members representing Aquarion customers would have no votes.
The RPB also lacks staff and requirements for engineering, financial, technical or regulatory expertise. This cannot substitute for the rigorous oversight currently provided by PURA’s trained professionals. Decisions affecting Aquarion customers’ drinking water risk being made primarily by interests outside the communities directly served, leaving local residents with less say in decisions that directly affect their water.
For years, Aquarion customers have benefited from oversight that balances financial, technical and public health considerations. This proposal would create a governance structure that diminishes that oversight, reduces local representation, and allows decisions to be made by a board without required expertise.
Consumers deserve a process that is transparent, inclusive and accountable — especially when it concerns something as vital as the water we drink every day. Our communities depend on clean, safe and reliably managed water.
We urge PURA, our colleagues in the legislature, and our communities to recognize the severe consequences of this proposed sale. This is not just a corporate transaction — it is a question of public accountability and the safety of families across our region.
As elected representatives and co-chairs of the Government Oversight Committee, we will continue to advocate for Aquarion customers and push for policies that safeguard independent oversight, protect consumer rights and ensure that local voices have a meaningful role in decisions about their water.
The proposed Aquarion sale should not be approved unless PURA can guarantee that regulatory oversight, consumer protections and local representation remain fully intact. Our water, and the trust of the people we represent, is too important to compromise.
Rep. Lucy Dathan and Sen. Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox are co-chairs of the General Assembly’s Government Oversight Committee.
