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STAMFORD, Conn. Residents may be notified of sewage spills that occur in the state as Stamford representatives and others support a bill to make that information known, a statement said.
To minimize public health consequences, the first line of defense is awareness and knowledge of the sewage pollution, state Rep. Gerald Fox III, D-Stamford, said in the statement.
Fox said he has heard from Shippan residents concerned with the sewage treatment plant on Magee Avenue. The concerns include the conditions of the beaches, shellfish beds and the odor, the statement said.
In addition to Fox, six other state legislators, including Rep. Daniel Fox, D-Stamford, and Rep. Michael Molgano, R-Stamford, support the bill, the General Assemblys website said.
If the bill passes, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection would begin posting expected sewer overflows during storms in 2013, the statement said. The department would also begin posting information about unanticipated overflows in 2014. The posted information would include date, time, volume, duration, what steps are being taken to contain it and any harm it may cause, the statement said.
According to the statement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified 25 unreported incidents of untreated sewage entering Long Island Sound in 2006 at the Stamford plant. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has cited the plant for improper operation.
The General Assemblys Environment Committee unanimously passed the bill March 14.
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