Plan Ties Protecting LI Sound To Healthy Economy

The group, Save the Sound, joined public officials in Bridgeport yesterday to discuss a new ten-year plan for protecting Long Island Sound. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.

When some people think of Long island Sound they picture summer days from childhood on the beach. Others feel the tug of a Striped Bass on the end of their line. For Curt Johnson it’s a cool dip, at night.

“Seeing the jelly fish light up,  like fireworks when you’re swimming in the water. I mean, it’s heavenly.”

Johnson is the Connecticut co-chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee ,which spent two years analyzing and writing the plan for the Sound. Speaking at Captain’s Cove Marina he explained some ideas to reduce pollution.

“There is so much run-off pollution running from our roofs and our city streets. And one way to fix that is by "greening" our cities.”

By “greening”, Johnson means growing more plants and trees to filter stormwater runoff, something he says would also create jobs for the nursery industry.

Paul Brady from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut says if clean water programs are funded for the Sound and new waste water treatment plants are built, it would create 6,000 jobs.

“These are  good jobs. These are engineers, construction workers, well paid jobs that we need more of here in Connecticut.”

Attorney General George Jepsen says Connecticut will never be the low–cost state for doing business, but it offers other things.

”What sells us is quality of life  and quality of life  means clean air, clean water and most of all a clean Long Island Sound

The last time a management plan was written for Long Island Sound was in 1994. Today protection of the Sound has been firmly linked with protecting the economy. 

For WNPR I’m Nancy Cohen.