Link to CT DEEP website
Commissioner Dykes, House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford), and the Metropolitan District Announce Major Progress Mitigating Sewer Flooding in North Hartford
June 24, 2026
(HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes, Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter and the MDC today announced that the state’s commitment of over $85 million in state funding from the state’s Clean Water Fund and Clean Water Fund-related funding, combined with MDC infrastructure funding launched in 2023, has delivered on a commitment to expedite relief for residents of Hartford’s North End suffering from sewage overflows in streets and basements.
Administered by DEEP and supported by Governor Lamont and the General Assembly, the enhanced funding was used to create a pilot program whose objective is to address privately-owned infrastructure that is connected to the public sewerage system, and which can contribute to sewage overflows. The pilot project is administered by DEEP and the Office of Treasurer. It uses the Clean Water Fund framework – the mechanism through which the state provides financial assistance to municipalities for projects addressing wastewater needs.
In the last 3 years, an aggressive action plan response (using the enhanced funding) began in North Hartford. Since 2023, over 4,200 homes in North Hartford were contacted by the MDC, and over 1,200 have participated in the program. We urge residents to take advantage of this opportunity. From 2023 to March 2026, the MDC has performed the following on private properties:
inspected over 10,000 privately-owned sewer laterals that connect the home to sewer system to the public systems.
almost 5,000 laterals were replaced or rehabilitated using state and MDC funding (typically a cost borne by the homeowner and costing upwards of $10,000),
over 1,000 homes had backwater valves installed that prevent public sewer backing up into homes during high-flow conditions, and almost 500 homes received sewer infrastructure improvements at no cost to the homeowners.
In addition to this pilot work being conducted on private property, the MDC has:
also conducted sewer rehabilitation and sewer separation work within the public right of way to increase the capacity of MDC’s sewer system and reduce the instance of sewer flooding in the streets, sewer overflows to local streams, and the chance of backups into homes and business.
This work has seen almost 15,000 feet of new storm drains or sewers installed and an astounding 125,595 feet of sewer mains rehabilitated.
At the same time, this work also removes approximately 18 million gallons of combined sewer overflow volume to the Park River in a typical year.
“Hartford’s North End has been disproportionately impacted by sewer overflows for too long, and I am glad that the state has been able to step in and provide the support and actions needed to deliver relief to this neighborhood,” Governor Lamont said. “I am grateful to all the partners who’ve been working together to address this complex issue, and I particularly applaud DEEP for the progress they have made.”
“In many communities, aging sewer and wastewater infrastructure is struggling to handle more frequent, intense rainstorms, resulting in street flooding, and in this case, sewage backups in homes,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “I am so proud that, working together with Speaker Ritter, the City of Hartford, the MDC, and Hartford’s residents, DEEP was able to develop and implement this innovative solution to a critical challenge. DEEP is committed to continuing this critical work, which is so central to our mission of protecting public health and the environment, especially in our most vulnerable communities. I am thankful for Governor Lamont’s support for these unprecedented investments, and I also want to recognize the incredible DEEP staff, whose creativity and hard work was critical to the success of this project.”
House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said, “I want to thank Commissioner Dykes for her steadfast support on the flooding issue. We literally created new programs and implemented new ideas in a matter of weeks. In my 16 years at the Legislature, this is one of my prouder moments and it would not have happened without Katie and her vision and support. I wish her the best in her next endeavors and I trust that the residents and businesses of Hartford who were negatively impacted by these floods feel the same way.”
“I thank our partners at CT DEEP, elected officials, our Board of Commissioners and members of the community for coming together to provide the support for the MDC to make $170 million of infrastructure improvements for North Hartford,” said MDC Chairman Donald Currey.
MDC CEO Scott Jellison stated, “Having the MDC maintain a presence in the neighborhood with a community outreach office has proven to be a successful strategy for our projects and demonstrates we remain committed to rebuilding the infrastructure in North Hartford over the long term.”
“We are replacing decades of systemic neglect with real, tangible infrastructure progress in the North End of Hartford,” said Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. “This collaborative effort with CT DEEP and the MDC is about protecting our families’ homes and building a Hartford that can withstand the realities of climate change.”