Town officials warn AWA governance plan hands control to outside authority majority

Town officials from New Canaan, Ridgefield and other Aquarion service communities told the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority hearing that the governance structure set out for the Aquarion Water Authority (AWA) hands meaningful control to outside appointees and risks weakening local oversight.

In testimony and public comment, First Selectman Diana Carlson of New Canaan said the AWA structure “eliminating PURA’s regulatory expertise and allowing the purchaser to essentially regulate itself is a recipe for disaster for our towns,” and argued a 60‑member representative policy board (RPB) would be impractical as a check on the authority board. First Selectman Rudy Marconi of Ridgefield testified the large RPB and proposed majority of Regional Water Authority (RWA) appointees would reduce residents’ ability to influence decisions that affect rates, capital projects and land use.

Why it matters: The enabling legislation (special act creating AWA, amended by Public Act 24‑1) assigns key powers to two bodies: an authority board that will make many operational and financial decisions, and a large RPB drawn from municipalities in the…