Proposed Aquarian sale would shift oversight and set new board structure for regional authority

Interim leaders of the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) and Aquarion told PURA on Aug. 19 that the sale structure approved by state legislation would move regulation of the acquired Aquarion Connecticut operations out of PURA and into a new authority model, with an 11‑member authority board governing the combined utility.

The change matters because the authority model gives local representative policy boards and the authority board primary roles in capital approvals and rate filings instead of PURA. Witnesses said the new board will have 11 members: six appointed by RWA’s representative policy board and five appointed by the AWA representative policy board. The RWA-appointed majority on the authority board drew repeated questioning from intervenors about potential conflicts when a single board approves budgets and officer compensation that the authority will charge to separate ratepayer groups.

Petitioners’ witnesses described how decision authority is…