AG Tong Criticizes PURA Approval of Aquarion Water Authority Sale

CT Attorney General Press Releases

Published March 25th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong criticized the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority's (PURA) approval of the sale of Eversource-owned Aquarion Company to a new nonprofit, Aquarion Water Authority. The AG stated the sale will likely double household bills and reduce public oversight of water utility rates and consumer protections, despite widespread opposition.

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What changed

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a statement criticizing the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority's (PURA) decision to approve the sale of Aquarion Company, owned by Eversource, to a new nonprofit entity, Aquarion Water Authority (AWA). The AG argued that the $6 billion sale, projected to double household bills and gut public oversight, was approved despite significant opposition from consumer advocates, towns, and the AG's own office. PURA had previously denied the transaction, but a court remand led to this reconsideration and approval, which Tong characterized as a capitulation to utility lobbying.

This decision shifts regulatory oversight from PURA to the AWA's board, which is composed of representatives from the towns served. Unlike PURA, the AWA board cannot make line-item adjustments to rate requests, and has historically not rejected rate hike requests. The AG warned that Connecticut families and businesses will bear the long-term costs of this deal, which he described as a "gift to Eversource" that undermines consumer protections and ratepayer advocacy.

What to do next

Review the impact of the Aquarion Water Authority sale on water rates and consumer protections.
Monitor the Aquarion Water Authority board's decisions regarding rate requests and consumer advocacy.

Source document (simplified)

The Office of the Attorney General William Tong

Press Releases

03/25/2026

Attorney General Tong Statement as PURA Approves New Aquarion Water Authority

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority ignored widespread opposition and approved the sale of Eversource-owned Aquarion Company to a new nonprofit that is projected to double household bills and will gut public oversight of water utility rates and consumer protections.

PURA initially denied the transaction on November 19. Aquarion appealed and the court remanded the matter back to PURA for reconsideration. Attorney General Tong personally argued against the deal before PURA, alongside the Office of Consumer Counsel, and representatives for the towns in Aquarion’s service territory who were united in opposition to the deal. None of the underlying facts changed between November 19 and now-- this was and is a bad deal for Connecticut.

“This is a $6 billion gift to Eversource, to be paid by Connecticut families and towns over the next 40 years. Literally no one wanted this deal except for the utility executives looking to cash out. The economics of this deal made zero sense. It’s a costly loser wrapped in a bunch of fuzzy math and empty promises. PURA had every ounce of authority and every reason to reject this deal, but they simply caved,” said Attorney General Tong. “The utilities spent a ton of money on expensive lawyers and lobbyists to run their chief regulator out of town. Today, Eversource got exactly what they paid for. For those who have spent the past year doing the utilities bidding and fixating on gossip and interpersonal drama, it’s going to be on you to explain to Connecticut families why they can’t afford water anymore.”

Aquarion Company and its Connecticut subsidiaries, Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut (AWC-CT) and Torrington Water Company (TWC), is currently by far the largest water company in the state, serving approximately 722,000 people in 62 municipalities across Connecticut.

Aquarion is currently owned by Eversource. As a corporate-owned public utility, it is regulated by PURA, which has authority to set rates and scrutinize its service. In 2023, PURA rejected Aquarion’s bid to raise rates by nearly 30 percent. The company appealed and the Connecticut Supreme Court recently largely affirmed PURA’s decision.

Eversource sought to offload Aquarion and to reap funds from the sale and shed its obligations while saddling Connecticut families and businesses with the long-term costs and consequences. The move will now convert Aquarion into a nonprofit entity called the Aquarion Water Authority (AWA), which will share resources with the South Central Regional Water Authority (RWA), including a CEO, CFO, board, and board committees.

Nonprofit utilities, such as the RWA and proposed AWA, are governed not by PURA but by their own board, comprised of representatives from the towns they serve. The board, making decisions for both the RWA and AWA in this proposed transaction, must either accept or reject a rate request in its entirety, with no ability for line-item adjustments as before PURA. Not once has RWA’s board ever rejected a rate hike request. While the Office of the Attorney General and Consumer Counsel both aggressively advocate on behalf of ratepayers before PURA, the RWA selects its own consumer advocate and sets the advocate’s pay.

Aquarion has not hid its intentions to raise rates. The application projected annual rate increases between 6.5 percent and 8.35 percent annually through 2035, with even more rate hikes expected every five years after. Those plans may double water bills for Connecticut families over the next decade.

Assistant Attorneys General Caroline McCormack and John Wright and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section assisted the Attorney General in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General