City will get $282,000 from CRRA

Tuesday, 03 November 2009 14:17

The city of Bridgeport will receive 282,104 as part of the $1.6 million left over following the close of the former Bridgeport Project solid waste system.

The funds remained after the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA), which oversaw the Bridgeport Project, set up and funded reserves to cover the project’s future obligations, such as the post-closure monitoring and maintenance of the Shelton and Waterbury landfills.

The state requires that landfill owners have enough money to pay for 30 years of monitoring and maintenance at the time of a landfill’s closing.

The CRRA board has approved a distribution formula based on the participating towns’ minimum commitments and percentage of trash deliveries to the Bridgeport Project during its final five years.

The project was set up 20 years ago to fund the construction and operation of the Wheelabrator trash-to-energy plant in Bridgeport’s West End. The bonds now have been paid off.

The facility remains in operation but with a different arrangement between its private owner and member municipalities, including the host community of Bridgeport.

The Bridgeport Project’s revenues came from disposal fees paid by member cities and towns. Under the contracts, money left over at the conclusion of the project is to be divided among the member towns. CRRA expects to send out checks next week.

The CRRA, a quasi-public agency, handles solid waste disposal for 110 Connecticut cities and towns.