The leadership of Nutmeg TU 217 is urging members to send letters to state, local and federal officials expressing concerns about Exide’s plan to remove lead from the Mill River.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly included the word “oppose.”

TU has joined other residents and conservationists in raising questions about a plan they say has too few specifics and too many risks.

The letter can be copied in its entirety from nutmegtrout.org, pasted into an email and email to officials. Email addresses are provide with the online story.

Links to articles about the plan can be found HERE.

After a subsequent meeting of the Fairfield Conservation Commission, the Fairfield Citizen reported  that the commission focused on “Exide’s proposal to discharge sediment-cleansed water back into Mill River during the dredging operation — because the deadline for public comment on that application is Feb. 7.”

The letter appears below, with email addresses for state officials. Copy the text, paste it into an email, personalize it and send it to those officials.

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Dear ______________,

I am writing to ask your consideration, in your position as ___________________, of my concerns about the proposed Exide Mill River Remediation Action Plan and its significant deficiencies as an adequate restoration program for the damage this river has suffered.  As a member of Trout Unlimited’s local Nutmeg Chapter in whose geographic area the Mill River flows, please allow me to express my views by reiterating below our Chapter’s position, representing our almost four hundred members residing in Fairfield and surrounding towns, which succinctly reflects the serious shortfalls of the Plan, and therefore my strong concerns about it.

Trout Unlimited’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. As such, we have been following Exide’s reme diati on effort with great interest for many years. We are encouraged to see a Remedial Action Plan come together, but we do have some substantial concerns that echo those expressed by the Town of Fairfield’s Conservation Department among others.

First, we question the wisdom of any Remedial Action Plan for lead impacted river sediment that does not include a comparable action plan for chromium impacted river sediment. Second, we do not believe Exide has done enough to evaluate and explain the environmental risks potentially associated with in-water dredging activity during the spawning season. Third, this plan does not address the need for a fish passage as an essential component of remediation. Fourth, no provision of public access is addressed. Lastly, we have yet to see any plan to restore the river to its natural state once the dredging is complete. A true remediation effort would include re-filling the dredged holes with clean soil, restoring the river bottom with structural habitat including rocks and logs and finally, re-planting the river banks with native plant species.

Related to these concerns and warranting specific attention is the issue of the river herring run (alewives and blueback.) NOAA is considering these species for endangered species status. Exide is saying that their dredging process poses no issue to the spawning of these fish because the slurry will be contained and therefore they should be allowed to dredge during the spring spawning season. However, based on the technique used in 1983 — cutterhead dredge and floating silt curtain — which seems to be much the same as the one proposed now, there was plenty of spillover which moved lead all over the river. Certainly this will seriously jeopardize successful river herring spawning.

Ms./Mr. ____________, the Mill River is one of Fairfield County’s natural treasures. It is one of only a handful of specially designated Class One Wild Trout Streams in Connecticut. It’s estuarial confluence with Long Island Sound could, with an adequate restoration plan, once again be a healthy environment for our unique natural treasures (and economic resources) such as sea-run brown trout, and for safe use and enjoyment by residents of Fairfield and adjacent towns. This is finally the moment for a prudent plan to correct the damage to the Mill and restore its health and value to all of us.

Thank you for considering my views on this very important issue.

Sincerely,

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The letter should be sent to:

DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty

deep.webmaster@ct.gov

State Rep. Kim Fawcett

Kim.Fawcett@cga.ct.gov

State Sen. John McKinney

John.McKinney@cga.ct.gov

State Rep. Tony Hwang

Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov

State Rep. Brenda Kupchick

brenda.kupchick@housegop.ct.gov

Those in other towns may also send to their legislators.

Nutmeg TU will hold its 36th annual banquet Saturday, March 23, at the Restaurant at Tashua Knolls Golf Course in Trumbull.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with an open bar till 7:30 p.m.

The evening will include a door prize, raffles, a silent auction and presentations on Nutmeg TU activities.

Donations of prizes are still needed. To donate a prize or volunteer to help with the banquet, contact Banquet Chairman Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com.

Click to download a printable reservation form, to be printed and returned to the address on it by March 15.

Click here for directions to the restaurant.

A roughly $38-million plan for a new United Illuminating substation in Shelton has been proposed by the power company, and construction could start in July if the proposal receives state approval.

The Connecticut Siting Council has scheduled public hearings on the application this Thursday, Jan. 17, at 3 p.m. and  7 p.m. at Shelton City Hall.

The substation would take up roughly two acres of a six-acre site at 14 Old Stratford Road. The six-acre property has Route 8 to the east, Pootatuck Place on its western side, and to the north, Far Mill River. Until the 1990s it was used by the Lord Corp. for the manufacture of O-rings and seals, according to UI.

Click here to read coverage in The Shelton Herald.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will hold a public session on Exide’s latest plans to remediate the lower Mill River Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, 785 Unquowa Road, Fairfield.

The plan by the battery maker that once operated on the Post Road is the result of 30 years of negotiations with the state and town on how to clean the site. Click here to download a town review of the proposal.

Nutmeg TU is concerned about the effects the cleanup could have on the river, its’ wildlife and its ongoing Mill River Improvement Project.

Exide proposes dredging the sediment from the bottom of the river. According to a review of the plan by Fairfield officials, that could stir up contaminants in the river.

The Exide plan also would not address contamination caused by a plating company still in operation on side of the Mill River opposite the former Exide site.

Ron Merly and Ross Ogden of Nutmeg TU have met with Fairfield conservation officials, and Merly told the board of directors Dec. 6 that the plans are “very vague.”

One current proposal, Merly said, would begin work during the annual Herring migration up the Mill River.

Nutmegtrout.org will be updated with coverage of the hearing.

Weston police arrested two Stamford men for stealing copper piping from a house and in the process causing an oil spill in the Saugatuck River, according to The Weston Forum.

Police told The Weston Forum that the Weston Fire Department received a call on Friday, Dec. 28, from a resident on Valley Forge Road who complained about the smell of “gas.” When the Fire Department arrived, firefighters saw two men loading copper pipes into a vehicle from a house across the street at 153 Valley Forge Road.

Police were called to the scene and found two men stealing items from the house, including copper piping.

“Investigators say 37-year-old Jose Morales and his brother, 42-year-old Mauro Morales, stole copper piping from a home at 153 Valley Forge Road, inadvertently contaminating the Saugatuck River after they accidentally severed an oil line,” according to a report at connecticut.news12.com.

The men had apparently cut copper pipes in the basement that led to a fuel oil line, causing oil to leak into a drain that went under the road and into the Saugatuck River, according to The Weston Forum. The fuel oil caused the smell the neighbor complained about.

Police called the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for remediation and the oil was cleaned from the Saugatuck, the Forum reported.

“The Saugatuck River is known for its trout population, which experts say is among the healthiest in the country,” according to the News12 report.

José Morales and Mauro Morales were arrested at the scene and charged them with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief, larceny in the third degree, conspiracy, and violation of water pollution control requirements. They have a Jan. 7 court date.