Norwalk Shellfish commissioners press to rejoin watershed planning, raise concerns about Manresa Island and DEEP handling of Eversource hearing

At its March 6 meeting, the Norwalk Shellfish Commission heard a multi-topic report from Jeff Stedman on watershed planning, the Manresa Island proposal and a DEEP response to the Eversource horizontal directional drilling hearing.

Stedman told commissioners the Harbor Commission had won approval for a $3,500,000 grant to rebuild Veterans Park Marina but the bond commission had not yet allocated funds; he said bond-commission action was expected in April. Stedman said the Manresa Island presentation held the previous night included detailed models and a project timeline that, in his view, conspicuously lacked time for regulatory approvals and remediation planning. "It's not going to just involve the upland; it's going to involve the in-water, most likely the brackish and intertidal areas as well," Stedman said, adding that remedial action plans and permits for dredging and fill will require careful public review.

Stedman also urged the Shellfish Commission to participate in an updated Norwalk River Watershed Initiative. He said the initiative, a collaboration of seven towns, received grant funds and has engaged Ty and Bon (an engineering firm) to update the watershed-based plan with a focus on bacteria contamination. Stedman said the commission had shared prior harbor- and shellfish-related planning material with the watershed coordinator at the Southwest Conservation District and recommended identifying priority water-quality projects for 2025.

On state permitting, Stedman summarized responses from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to a letter the commission and Harbor Commission had sent about the Eversource HDD adjudicatory hearing. According to Stedman, DEEP's replies included: the hearing officer does not review presentations before public hearings; documents were not consolidated on a single DEEP web page though staff could provide them on request; DEEP said its hearing complied with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act; DEEP noted its staff are experts and that parties who want outside expert testimony should seek intervenor status; and DEEP determined the project was consistent with the Norwalk Harbor Management Plan, citing a prior city agreement with Eversource.

Stedman said the commissions remain concerned about hearing procedure, the sufficiency of public-facing documents, and the prospect that new rules under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program may require harbor masters to inspect vessels for marine sanitation devices when beds reopen or close near moorings. He also flagged a proposed governor's bill to alter Connecticut public hearing procedures, which he said could make some hearings informational rather than adjudicatory and change the role of intervenors.

Commissioners discussed next steps for engaging with the watershed-plan update and with harbor and shellfish issues tied to Manresa Island. Chairman Steve Persino said he would pursue reactivating the mayor's water quality committee to coordinate city-level participation.

Looking ahead, commissioners said they expect more detailed permit applications and regulatory filings on Manresa Island and asked staff to circulate meeting proceedings from the recent New Haven shellfish commissions gathering that Stedman and colleagues attended.