East Hampton Residents Speak Out Against Water Treatment Facility Expansion, Citing Smell & Lack Of Input

By Dylan Fearon and Roger Susanin, WFSB 3

EAST HAMPTON, CT — East Hampton residents are expected on Thursday night to voice opposition to a proposed expansion of the town’s water treatment plant.

A town council meeting is scheduled.

Residents list traffic, waste, odor as main concerns

The plan has drawn criticism since it was first announced in 2024.

The Water Pollution Control Authority proposed purchasing land off Route 66 to expand the facility.

Critics have raised concerns about increased truck traffic, additional waste and odor from the expanded plant.

Signs opposing the project have appeared near the construction site. At least one read “Welcome to East Hampton — No Sewer Expansion.”

Neighbors feel they’re not being heard

Judy Steben has lived in East Hampton for 32 years and lives half a mile from the property the WPCA wants to buy.

She said residents have been fighting the proposal since 2024 but felt their concerns were not heard until this week, during a tense, three-hour Town Council meeting.

“We don’t want Walmart, any of the big box stores. We certainly don’t want the stink you smell on Route 9 here,” Steben said.

She said the prospect of the facility operating near homes is unacceptable.

“Within 500 feet of somebody’s house — open the window? You can’t do it because it’s going to stink. It’s just awful,” Steben said.

Local Town Council members weigh in

Republican town councilman Ted Hintz said he lives near the proposed site and also opposes the expansion.

“Once you remove all the trees to put the tanks in, there will be an odor issue,” Hintz said. “From just an aesthetics perspective, not what you want to show as you’re welcoming people to the town of East Hampton.”

Council Chairman Dean Markham, a Democrat, said the council did not have full details on the project and did not grasp the extent of public opposition until the meeting. He said the project may not move forward.

“I don’t think so at this time. I can’t speak to the future,” Markham said, adding the shift came “because of the information that came out last night. I can’t say what’s going to happen, but there will be some changes very soon.”

Steben said residents were also angered by being told they would not have a vote on the project.

“Not saying the residents could have a vote on it really ticked people off,” she said.

This story is posted with permission from WFSB 3 TV. For video and more, visit WFSB 3 here.