Last Updated on November 19, 2025 by Matthew Hallock
DEFENSIVE VICTORY!
PURA Unanimously Denies $2.4 Billion Aquarion Sale: Local Control Buys Time
After months of investigation by local residents and officials, the state has halted the "dirty deal" to sell Fairfield County's water rights to the New Haven-based RWA. This decision validates the community's fight for local control and prevents the acquisition-debt-driven 65% rate hike. However, this is a pause, not a permanent win, as the utilities are expected to appeal.
What Was at Stake? The Fight for Our Water
Acquisition Rate Hikes PREVENTED
Projected over 10 years to pay for RWA's acquisition debt. **This threat has been blocked by the PURA denial.**
This was a financial deal, not a public service. The sale was designed to profit utilities at the direct expense of nearly one million residents.
Environmental Justice
In communities like Bridgeport's East End.
The deal ignored massive, undisclosed health liabilities and decades of environmental injustice, attempting to dump lead pipe remediation costs onto ratepayers in defiance of White House Executive Orders.
The Lone Voice
At a key Water Protection Council meeting, 34 industry insiders and regulators gathered to discuss the deal. Only one member of the public from Fairfield County was there to object.
How We Got Here: A History of Acquisitions
This wasn't just a sale; it was the final move in a multi-decade plan to commodify our water. The original Bridgeport Hydraulic Company (est. 1800s) was transformed into an acquisition vehicle.
Timeline of Ownership & Intervention
1991: The "Change"
Bridgeport Hydraulic files in Delaware as "Aquarion," changing not only its name but mission from a public service to private acquisition.
2000-2017: The Flipping
Sold to a British company (Kelda), then to an Australian mining company (Macquarie).
2017: Eversource is "In"
Eversource buys Aquarion for $1.65B, acting as a well-funded broker.
2024: Eversource is "Out"
Announces the pre-arranged $2.4B "dirty deal" to sell to RWA.
SEPT 2025: Local Intervention
After private meetings with The Voice, Fairfield and Easton filed for Intervenor Status in the PURA case, joined by many other Fairfield County towns.
NOV 2025: DENIED!
PURA unanimously denies the sale, siding with the people.
Aquarion's Acquisition Spree
Since 2011, Aquarion has purchased and integrated 87 water systems, "gobbling up" smaller local authorities to consolidate control.
The Next Fight: CT Housing Bill (HB 8002)
The fight for our water was a victory for local control. Now, the legislature has passed a bill that takes that same local control away from our zoning boards.
The New Zoning Mandate
The law creates a "summary review" process, stripping local P&Z commissions of their power to hold public hearings or use discretion on certain housing projects.
OLD Process
- Developer Applies
- Public Hearing
- Local P&Z Discretion
- Decision (Can Deny)
NEW Mandate (HB 8002)
- Developer Applies
- No Public Hearing
- "Summary Review"
- Mandatory Approval
What This Means:
This law goes into effect:
Our Declaration: The People's Bill of Rights
The Battle for Water is the Start of the Energy Fight.
**Fairfield County is currently the victim of a duopoly of Eversource and Avangrid for electricity, with decisions coming from elected officials and agencies they control, like PURA.** Our demand is to establish a **People’s Authority municipal utility** for water, electricity, and other energy needs. Losing control of our infrastructure is not in the best interests of the 1 million people of the county.
- **The Right to Water:** No member of our community will ever have their water shut off due to financial hardship.
- **The Right to Local Control:** The stewardship of our water belongs to the people who drink it.
- **The Right to Trust & Transparency:** Our utility must exist to serve the public, with full transparency in all operations.
- **The Right to Clean & Healthy Water:** We have the right to the highest quality water at the lowest possible cost.
- **The Right to Prioritize Our Climate & Environment:** Our utility must be a leader in conservation and watershed protection.
- **The Right to Uphold Our Values:** The public should not be forced to patronize any entity with a poor record on human rights or the environment.
- **The Right to Demand the Best:** We have a right to expect our utility to lead the nation in best practices for ESG and DEI.
