Officials, residents raise concerns at PURA hearing on proposed sale of Aquarion Water Company

Chair Marissa Gillette of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority convened a public comment hearing on docket 250403 to collect views about a joint application to transfer control of Aquarion Water Company from Eversource Energy to the newly created Aquarion Water Authority (AWA), an entity affiliated with the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA).

The applicants—represented on the call by Sunny Lakshmina Raynan (interim president and CEO of the AWA and South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority), Rochelle Kowalski (senior vice president and chief financial officer) and Lucy Teixeira (president and chief operating officer of Aquarion Water Company)—said the acquisition would preserve local control, maintain existing Aquarion operations and customer rates at closing, and lower the cost of capital because the authority structure allows issuance of tax‑exempt debt. Raynan and colleagues told PURA the AWA would operate alongside RWA and that each of the 59 Aquarion municipalities would have representation on a proposed Aquarion Regional Water District Representative Policy Board (RPB). The petitioners said Aquarion rates would remain a separate schedule and not be “blended” with RWA rates.

Municipal leaders, state legislators and consumer advocates who spoke at the hearing questioned that account and urged PURA…