Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and State Senator Dan Debicella (R-21) today announced that an agreement has been reached to end the disposal of dredged material from Milford’s Caswell Cove Marina in the Housatonic River near Shelton.

Mayor Lauretti said that under the agreement reached by all parties to the issue, the remaining materials to be dredged from Caswell Cove will be taken to the well-established Central Long Island Sound Disposal Site.

“This agreement satisfies concerns raised about the disposal of dredged materials in the Housatonic River and allows Caswell Cove to conduct the dredging needed to keep that marina safe for recreational boaters,” Lauretti said.

“The Housatonic River will be protected under this solution, which is an example of true problem-solving in government,” Senator Debicella said. “Governor Rell and her administration worked with state and local officials to come up with a viable alternative that is best for the environment.”

Debicella added, “I thank everyone involved for taking the time to hear the concerns of the community and for being willing to rethink this dredging project. This agreement represents the successful conclusion of an effort to bring people together to find a positive outcome to what was a complex situation.”

Senator Debicella said this agreement would not have been possible without the full cooperation and involvement of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the management of Caswell Cove Marina, the city of Milford, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy said sediment from Milford Harbor will be used as the ‘cap’ – or cover – often required when dredged materials, such as those from Caswell Cove, are placed in Long Island Sound.

“This means Milford will also benefit from the overall agreement because it will ensure that needed dredging of that city’s harbor can take place this spring,” Commissioner McCarthy said. “DEP will be able to provide timely authorization for dredging of that harbor, since there is a need for this sediment and an approved location for its disposal.”

Commissioner McCarthy said DEP still hopes to have an opportunity to review the reasoning behind the original plan to dispose sediments in the Housatonic River with people in Shelton.

“The plan was creating friction, however, between people on both sides of the issue who care deeply about the river,” Commissioner McCarthy said. “It was time to bridge this gap and end this controversy and we thank Senator Debicella and Mayor Lauretti for helping to make that possible.”

Details of the new plan for the disposal of dredged material from Caswell Cove Marina are as follows:

• Disposal of Caswell Cove sediment in the Housatonic River near Shelton will cease as of Thursday afternoon. Approximately 8,000 cubic yards of material from Caswell Cove were placed in depressions in the river bottom since disposal was authorized. Caswell Cove was authorized to place about 24,000 cubic yards of sediment there.

• DEP is issuing a new Certificate of Permission (COP) that allows for Caswell Cove to place dredged materials in the Central Long Island Sound Disposal Site, which is located in waters off of New Haven. This disposal is expected to start next week, once formal approval from the EPA and U.S. ACOE is finalized and once Caswell Cover finalizes plans to obtain and use Milford Harbor sediment as a “cap.”

• The DEP will authorize the city of Milford to dispose of its dredged materials at the Long Island Sound site. The city had originally proposed placing sediment dredged from the mouth of the harbor in an area where it would have washed back up and replenished a nearby beach.

• Caswell Cove will be able to dispose of approximately 6,000 cubic yards of sediment in Long Island Sound using the Milford harbor sediment as a “cap.” The marina will need additional suitable material as a “cap” to complete its dredging project.