Clean up the Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is one of the most polluted in the region. Water pollution from agricultural and urban runoff, acid rain, and combined sewer overflow plague the river like many others in the area. Also due to industrial development, there has been a loss of wildlife habitat and green spaces.

But unlike many other rivers in the area, the Connecticut River also plays host to everything from soda-cans and dead fish to couches filled with condoms and human teeth. As a result, many students have chosen Miller’s Pond as their preferred location for skinny-dipping as opposed to the river.

Most students have never ventured out on the river, or have even stood on its shores, never seeing or smelling the pollution that runs rampant in the river. It is even usually forgotten that Middletown is a riverside town.

Those who frequent the river, including the crew team, have taken steps to help clean up the area. In the “Source-to-Sea Cleanup,” crew team members from Wesleyan and other schools that use the river for rowing took to the shores in a massive clean-up effort. The crew team has seen what the river holds firsthand, finding two bodies in the river in the past few years. But, there are other groups beside the crew team better equipped for helping the Connecticut River.

Despite playing a large role in on-campus environmental issues, in recent years the Environmental Organizers Network (EON) has failed to take notice of the pollution just down the block from campus. But changes could be put into effect. EON has proven in the past that they have the influence to get the Administration to help. Using political influence in the county and state, the administration has the power to convince local legislators that is a statewide problem, not one limited to Middletown. Now is a perfect time for EON and the Administration to take a stand and help save the Connecticut River from becoming synonymous with the infamously polluted East and lower Hudson Rivers.

Albeit, cleaning up the Connecticut River is a long and massive undertaking. But if Wesleyan organized small clean-up groups at first, the greater Middletown and Portland areas would take notice, especially permanent residents who encounter the river all-year long.

For now the Connecticut River Watershed Council leads the way in helping lower pollution levels in the river. By working in conjunction with this organization and interested Middletown residents, students can help eliminate pollution and preserve the river for the future.