News

Press Release
S&P Rating Report
Moody’s Rating Report

Ratings upgraded for second year in a row ahead of July 27 Bond Sale

July 21, 2023

For Immediate Release

(HARTFORD, CT) – Chief Executive Officer Scott W. Jellison announced today that Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings have released their ratings on the District’s upcoming and outstanding bonds. Moody’s Investor Service affirmed its Aa2 rating on the MDC’s outstanding clean water revenue bonds and upgraded its Aa3 rating on its outstanding and upcoming general obligation bonds to Aa2, while maintaining its stable outlook for all rated debt.

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its AA rating on the MDC’s outstanding clean water revenue bonds and its outstanding and upcoming general obligation bonds, while maintaining its stable outlook for all rated debt. 

The MDC sought these ratings in advance of an $84.7 million bond sale planned for July 27, 2023. These bonds will finance $37.7 million in water projects, $32.3 million in sewer projects, and $14.7 million in combined funding projects. 

The ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s represent a high-grade rating awarded by each of these agencies.  Because of these ratings, the MDC is assured of receiving favorable interest rates when it issues bonds to finance its capital projects. 

“I am proud to report these favorable ratings to our member towns, staff and bond holders. This is the second year in a row that we have received bond rating upgrades. In 2022, S&P upgraded its AA- rating to AA for our revenue bonds and this year Moody’s has upgraded its Aa3 rating to Aa2 for our general obligation bonds. These upgrades demonstrate our prudent fiscal management of our member towns and rate payers’ resources and ensure the lowest possible borrowing costs for our investments in our infrastructure,” said CEO Jellison. 

The rating reports issued by the two credit rating agencies present a thorough, objective, and independent analysis of the MDC’s financial operations and credit strength. 

S&P Global Ratings indicated that its rating reflects the MDC’s “affluent service area, along with strong historical financial performance” and its debt service obligations benefit from management’s ability to finance its operations from a “diverse revenue stream [which] helps distribute costs over a wide base of users and helps with affordability considerations.”

Moody’s reports that its rating reflects the “MDC’s solid financial operations” and lists the MDC’s credit strengths to include an ample water supply, treatment capacity and healthy financial operations.

PRESS RELEASE: Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Save the Sound reach agreement with MDC to protect 5,500 acres

Download PDF

North Hartford Sewer Improvement Projects

Materials from June 29 Presentation held at the North End Senior Center

June 29 Presentation North End Senior Center
Project Area Map
Backwater Valve Program Information
Pipe Lining FAQ

2022 Water Quality Report
2022 Water Quality Report (Spanish)
Press Release (PDF)

MDC RELEASES 2022 WATER QUALITY REPORT
MDC water met or exceeded all State and Federal standards

For Immediate Release
June 20, 2023

(HARTFORD, CT) The Metropolitan District (MDC) announced today that the drinking water provided to its customers met or exceeded all state and federal standards for 2022.

The 2022 Water Quality Report is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The 2022 Water Quality Report is mailed to MDC customers this month. Additionally, a copy of the report is available online to view and download on the MDC’s website at www.themdc.org in both English and Spanish.

In 2022, the MDC’s potable water was once again in compliance with all state and federal drinking standards. The report includes a description of the MDC’s source waters, treatment techniques, a list of substances the water is tested for and more.

Each year the MDC conducts over 140,000 tests on the water obtained from its reservoirs, treatment plants and other sampling sites throughout the distribution system. In 2022, the MDC distributed an average of 46.3 million gallons of water per day to a population of approximately 400,000.

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) were not part of the water quality testing, as they were not regulated by the EPA for the 2022 calendar year. However, as reported in a press release in April, MDC began quarterly testing for 29 PFAS in early 2023 as part of the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) testing. Results from the first two quarters (January and April) of water testing indicate no detectable PFAS in the MDC’s water supply.

“The MDC continues to provide our customers with the highest quality drinking water year in and year out. While new challenges are continually presented, the responsible management of our water supply and delivery system remains our highest priority,” stated MDC CEO Scott Jellison.

2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

2022 Federal Single Audit

The MDC’s Water Bureau adopted a new fee schedule for 2023 that lowers the rates for Lake McDonough boat launch passes.

The cost of a one-day pass is $10 per boat for residents and $20 for non-residents. Note: Two kayaks or canoes are allowed per vehicle.

There is also an option for a season pass which is $40 for residents and $100 for non-residents. 

Residents are defined as someone who is a resident of the MDC’s Member Towns, Non-Member Towns or Watershed Towns: Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor, East Granby, Farmington, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Hartland and New Hartford.

Notice: The Lake McDonough Beach and Swimming Recreation Area remains closed for 2023 due to a lack of lifeguards.

For more info:
https://themdc.org/lake-mcdonough/

MDC ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM
2023 schedule with participating town information

For Immediate Release
April 24, 2023
Download Press Release and Schedule PDF

(HARTFORD, CT) – Each year, the Metropolitan District (MDC) provides its customers with an environmentally-friendly initiative, the Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HazWaste) program. The 2023 HazWaste Program is scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 29.

The MDC collects hazardous waste and disposes of it through safe, environmentally responsible practices which in turn protects the health of our communities and the environment. The MDC will hold ten collection dates in 2023 and residents of any participating towns can partake in any collection date.

Participating towns for 2023 include: Bloomfield, East Granby, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks. See schedule for dates, times and locations.

For more information about the HazWaste program, including a downloadable information packet that lists eligibility requirements, types of materials accepted and more, visit https://themdc.org/what-we- do/environment-health-safety/household-hazardous-waste-collection or call the HazWaste hotline at (860) 278-3809.

RECENT TESTING DETECTS NO PFAS IN MDC WATER
Initial 2023 sampling shows no PFAS, consistent with previous test results

For Immediate Release
April 10, 2023
Download PDF

(HARTFORD, CT) – The Metropolitan District (MDC) takes water quality very seriously, and remains committed to providing our customers with the highest quality potable water through source protection, treatment, compliance monitoring and reporting of analytical results. MDC uses rigorous testing as part of its annual water quality report and continues to meet or exceed drinking water standards year after year.

MDC is currently reviewing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent announcement of a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Rule to provide a nationwide regulation for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds.  PFAS are not currently a regulated compound.

MDC is taking steps to monitor for PFAS in advance of the proposed rule. The EPA uses a program called the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) to monitor for the highest priority unregulated contaminants in Public Water Systems (PWS) across the United States every 5 years. Water samples are collected and analyzed for 29 specific PFAS substances (including the six listed in the proposed EPA rule) as part of the requirement of this year’s program called UCMR 5. The test period for UCMR5 allows until the end of 2025 to complete testing. 

MDC chose to begin testing this past January, which must be completed over four consecutive quarters. The initial preliminary results from the first quarter tests indicated none of the 29 PFAS compounds have been detected in MDC water samples. Three additional rounds of testing will be conducted by the end the year.  It should be noted that MDC also tested its water for six PFAS compounds as part of a previous round of UCMR testing in 2013 and 2014.  No PFAS were detected in any of the samples taken during that twelve-month period.

MDC’s surface water reservoirs are well protected as Connecticut is one of only two states that requires use of Class A water for drinking water purposes.  Class A water means that there are no wastewater discharges to the drinking water source or upstream.  In addition, MDC owns over 31,000 acres of land to protect its watershed and maintains a vigilant and aggressive watershed protection program, which includes over 1000 inspections a year which vastly reduces potential contamination. 

MDC is confident that not only is the water safe to drink, but it remains among the highest quality in the United States. MDC will continue to keep our customers informed on water quality standards for PFAS as they are developed by our regulators.

MDC’s Lake McDonough boat launch opens Saturday, April 8 for opening day of fishing season!

Boat Launch Hours:
Saturday, April 8: 6AM – 8PM (Opening Day)
Sunday, April 9: 10AM-8PM
Weekends only for remainder of April: 10AM – 8PM
Daily: 10AM – 8PM (May 1 – September 4)

For more details:
https://themdc.org/lake-mcdonough/

Season passes for the boat launch can be purchased online
https://mdcrecreational.square.site