Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission
Media Release
CONTACT: Chris Curtis, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, (413) 781-6045 chcurtis@pvpc.org
Kimberly Noake-McPhee, Franklin Region Council of Governments, (413) 774-1194
natres@frcog.org
Mary Ellen Kowalewski, Capitol Region Council of Governments, (860) 522-2217 ext. 222
mkowalewski@crcog.org
Margot Burns, Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, (860) 388-3497
margot@crerpa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2011
Connecticut River Bi-state Partnership Created
- An intergovernmental compact approved by four regional planning agencies in Massachusetts and Connecticut has created a new Connecticut River Bi-state Partnership for purposes of collaborating more effectively to improve the environment, water quality, recreation, and public access on the Connecticut River.
- Supported by a $150,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the partnership involves the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Capitol Region Council of Governments in Hartford, the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.
- The mission of the Connecticut River Bi-state Partnership will be to:
- Identify and prioritize critical challenges to the health of the Connecticut River and seek bi-state solutions to those challenges;
- Seek opportunities to utilize bi-state cooperation to secure additional federal and state resources to improve the Connecticut River;
- Address the bi-state water quality problems of combined sewer overflows, nitrogen loading to Long Island Sound, urban stormwater runoff, streambank erosion, and non-point source pollution in a cooperative and coordinated manner;
- Protect, enhance, and restore open space, wildlife habitat, green space, parkland, and recreational areas along the Connecticut River, seeking to make regional greenbelt linkages between these areas;
- Make information available to the public on Connecticut River recreation opportunities, access areas, and water quality, in order to promote enhanced public use of the river; and
- Collaborate to create new river-oriented recreational access areas, including regional bikeway-walkway projects, regional water trails, fishing and boating access areas, and other river access facilities.
- Some of the initial projects of the Connecticut River Bi-state Partnership include
- Establishing a small grant program to help municipalities and organizations throughout the watershed implement priorities to improve water quality and recreational access
- Creating a new series of web-based maps showing the locations of recreational access areas along the river
- Establishing a new Connecticut River website that will provide the public with a single source of information on river water quality, recreational access, and other river-related issues
With NOAA funding, partners have also conducted a region-wide stakeholder survey of 137 people throughout the watershed in Massachusetts and Connecticut to help define goals and priorities. People were invited to participate based on their involvement with organizations or agencies that have direct interests in water quality and recreational access issues on the Connecticut River. Survey questions were based on a review of recent studies of the Connecticut River that identified major issues and strategies, with the goal of further understanding these issues and defining the most important places in which to continue work.
Presented with eight possible goals for the Connecticut River, survey respondents ranked them in importance as follows:
- Promote smart growth, land protection, and environmental conservation to support river health
- Prevent habitat loss
- Eliminate or reduce bacteria, pathogen, and nitrogen loading from combined sewer overflows (CSOs)
- Reduce nutrient loading and other nonpoint sources of pollution
- Eliminate toxins (PCBs and pesticides)
- Promote greater public access for Connecticut River recreation and increased use of existing recreational facilities
- Prevent erosion and sedimentation
- Promote improved fish passage and flow
To access survey results, go to http://www.pvpc.org/activities/landuse-ctriver.shtml and select the Connecticut River Bi-State Partnership link. Project partners are in the midst of analyzing results and will be issuing a summary report in the coming months.
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Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 60 Congress Street – Floor 1, Springfield, MA 01104-3419, (413) 781-6045, Fax (413) 732-2593, www.pvpc.org