Aquarion Water Company

Latest Activities

FEBRUARY ’10 — A team of Aquarion employees participated in the annual Great Shehan Spelling Bee in Bridgeport, helping to raise funds for the children’s center.

FEBRUARY ’10 — Aquarion President and CEO Charles V. Firlotte hosted a welcome reception for Junior Achievement of Western CT, which recently moved its offices to the first floor of Aquarion’s headquarters on Main Street, Bridgeport, after the rent on its former office space increased more than JA could afford to pay.

FEBRUARY ’10 — Aquarion Water Company conducted its annual Black History Month Essay Contest in the Bridgeport public school system, choosing Grand Prize winners and runners-up for grades 3-6. Winners received trophies and gift cards to Walden Books.

DECEMBER ’09 — Aquarion employees collected toys for the annual Toys for Tots drive, filling six large boxes. Some toys also went to a children’s safe house in Shelton.

NOVEMBER ’09 — Aquarion Water Company arranged for its customers to get one free ticket to Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey games when they purchased a ticket and presented a copy of Water Watch, Aquarion’s quarterly customer newsletter.

NOVEMBER ’09 — Charles V. Firlotte, President and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, was appointed to the Board of Directors of Duoyuan Global Water Inc., China, and he was elected President of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), based in Washington, DC.

NOVEMBER ’09 — Aquarion Water Company partnered with The Nature Conservancy on an experimental project to help migrating eels migrate safely downstream from Aquarion’s Aspetuck Reservoir in Easton, using simple, environmentally friendly technology and clean, renewable resources.

NOVEMBER ’09 — Thirsty, Aquarion’s penguin mascot, marched in the Seymour Christmas Parade as company employees distributed activity booklets and stickers with water conservation messages to children along the parade route.

NOVEMBER ’09 — Aquarion employees conducted a food drive and distributed two large bins each to four food pantries around Connecticut.

NOVEMBER ’09 — A representative from Aquarion’s Corporate Communications Department visited a Girl Scout troop in Shelton to talk about the company’s history in that city and the importance of water conservation.

OCTOBER ’09 — To celebrate Customer Service Week, employees in Aquarion Water Company’s call center conducted a traveling bake sale, bringing their home-made brownies, cookies and cakes around to various Aquarion buildings in northern Fairfield County. After raising nearly $500, the employees purchased toiletries, bedding, household cleaners and other items requested by clients of the Center for Women & Families, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, and delivered them to the facility.

OCTOBER ’09 — A pharmaceutical collection, co-sponsored by Aquarion Water Company and St. Vincent Medical Center, brought in 200 pounds of controlled drugs and 280 pounds of non-controlled medications. The event, which was the first of its kind in Fairfield County, was open to residents of Trumbull and Monroe and took place at Daniels Farm Elementary School. The purpose was to take unwanted and expired pharmaceuticals out of the home so children could not get hold of them, and to prevent the medications from entering the environment through other disposal methods.

OCTOBER ’09 — Representatives from Aquarion Water Company’s Customer Service and Communications Departments met with the company’s three Customer Advisory Boards to review the results of a recent customer satisfaction survey and discuss various environmental activities in which the company participated during the second half of this year.

OCTOBER ’09 — A water tank truck from Aquarion Water Company provided free water for thousands of visitors at the annual Shelton Day street festival. Company volunteers also distributed biodegradable water bottles, home conservation kits, and informative pamphlets about the company.

OCTOBER ’09 — Aquarion Water Company participated in Beacon Falls’s annual Rubber Duck Race and festival as a sponsor, while Thirsty, our penguin mascot, greeted visitors.

SEPTEMBER ’09 — Aquarion Water Company assisted Greenwich Conservation Department’s “Think Outside the Bottle” program by providing free water and biodegradable water bottles for visitors to the town’s Eco-Fair. “Think Outside the Bottle” encourages residents to stop using store-bought water in bottles that litter roadsides and use up consumable resources to get to the store.

AUGUST ’09 — For the first day of classes at Barnum Elementary School, Aquarion Water Company employees distributed biodegradable water bottles to parents, and read aloud to first-graders.

AUGUST ’09 — A group of teens from Groundwork Bridgeport’s Green Team learned a number of lessons about water supply and the importance of environmental management when they spent two days with Aquarion Water Company staff, clearing water chestnuts out of Means Brook Reservoir in Shelton.

AUGUST ’09 — Special-needs children from Fairfield experienced the fun of fishing when Aquarion Water Company’s environmental management staff hosted them at a private area at the Saugatuck Reservoir.

JULY ’09 — Aquarion Water Company set up a booth at the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce’s Sidewalk Sales event on Greenwich Avenue, where volunteers distributed biodegradable water bottles. Aquarion was a sponsor of the event.

JUNE ’09 — Aquarion Water Company donated a pick-up truck it had retired from its fleet to the Stratford YMCA to use for grounds maintenance. Tim McManus, executive director at the Y, said the donation would save money that could then be directed to programs.

JUNE ’09 — Seven Aquarion Water Company employees from Monroe set up a tent at the opening day of Monroe’s Farmers Market to distribute reusable cotton tote bags and biodegradable water bottles for market patrons. Aquarion was one of the market’s sponsors this year.

JUNE ’09 — Volunteers from Aquarion Water Company set up a water station at the end of the Barnum Festival Parade route and distributed cold, fresh water to the thousands of marchers who participated. Aquarion’s penguin mascot, Thirsty, greeted marchers and parade-viewers as well.

JUNE ’09 — John J. Herlihy of Fairfield, Director of Water Quality and Environmental Management at Aquarion Water Company, has been elected the new Chairman of the Connecticut Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) for 2009-10.

JUNE ’09 — Staff from Aquarion Water Company’s Communications and Customer Service departments met with the company’s customer advisory boards in Fairfield County, Mystic and Litchfield-Simsbury in early June. They discussed Aquarion’s environmental initiatives since January, and its customer service record.

JUNE ’09 — Scores of residents of the greater Bridgeport area converged on the Trumbull Town Hall parking lot June 6 to pick up nearly 200 rain barrels they had ordered at a significant discount through Aquarion Water Company. Homeowners capture rain water from their downspouts into the barrels and then draw from it for various outdoor uses, such as watering their gardens, washing their cars, scrubbing decks, and filling toddlers’ wading pools.

JUNE ’09 — Employees from the Watershed and Environmental Management Office treated students from a special-needs class at Harding High School to a fishing excursion at the Saugatuck Reservoir June 4. Most of the students were at the reservoir last autumn to fish but had no luck catching anything. They were invited to return in the spring, when every student caught (and released) at least two fish.

MAY ’09 — Fairfield firefighters participated in HAZMAT training at Aquarion Water Company’s William S. Warner Water Treatment Plant in that town. Senior Plant Operator Marty Scales led the firefighters on a tour of the plant, explaining the set-up, chemical storage and safety policies. The training was aimed at preparing the firefighters in case they ever have to respond to an emergency at the plant.

MAY ’09 — A dozen Aquarion employees worked with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Farmington River Watershed Association in early May to release newly hatched salmon “fry” into the Farmington River. Aquarion volunteers have participated in this project for the past few years, helping to replenish the salmon population in the river. Salmon all but disappeared by the mid-1900s after dams blocked their way when they tried to swim upriver to spawn.

APRIL, MAY ’09 — Aquarion staff participated in environmental fairs in Greenwich, Stamford, Trumbull and Bridgeport throughout April and May, distributing material that promoted water conservation.

APRIL ’09 — Twenty-eight Aquarion employees participated in a clean-up project at Sunnyside Park in Shelton for Earth Day in April. They worked in conjunction with the Housatonic Valley Association, the Shelton Land Trust and the Shelton Parks & Recreation Department, with funding from the Valley Community Foundation. After cleaning out debris and overgrowth and painting picnic tables and railings, the volunteers planted shrubs and special grasses to prevent soil erosion from the edge of the park into the Housatonic River.

APRIL ’09 — Employees from the Dean’s Mill Water Treatment Plant in Stonington built a shelter for a butterfly garden at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center for an Earth Day project in April. They also participated in an environmental fair at the nature center that weekend.

APRIL ’09 — Nine Aquarion volunteers spent a day at the Frederick Sprague Barbour scout reservation in Norfolk, clearing away overgrowth on the walking trails so scouts can hike there. Aquarion also contributed $1,000 to an ongoing project to restore full water service to the camp after a lightning strike severely damaged the system.

APRIL ’09 — When the fishing season started in April, Aquarion offered free fishing permits to three of its reservoirs for anyone who was unemployed. More than 70 people took advantage of the offer, which allowed them to fish in the Saugatuck, Far Mill and West Pequonnock reservoirs. The permits normally cost $25.

APRIL ’09 — Aquarion Water Company was honored with distinguished guests from the country of Bhutan in southern Asia, who were visiting Connecticut in early April to learn about water treatment and delivery. They spent a morning touring Aquarion’s William S. Warner Water Treatment Plant in Fairfield, to see first-hand how Aquarion treats the water it gathers from reservoirs and delivers to customers.

MARCH ’09 — Charles V. Firlotte, President and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, received the Energy Good Scout Award from the Connecticut Yankee Council, Boys Scouts of America during a recent dinner at The Waterview in Monroe.

FEBRUARY ’09 — Aquarion Water Company conducted its annual Black History Month competition in the Bridgeport school system, inviting students to complete a quiz on facts related to prominent African-Americans and write an essay about an African-American figure they admire. Many students from the eight participating schools wrote about President Barack Obama, though others wrote about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and, closer to home, some of their friends and family members. A committee read each essay to choose a winner and runner-up from each school, and awarded those students trophies and gift cards to Walden Books.

Charles V. Firlotte, President and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, received a 2008 Corporate Achiever Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society during an October reception at Morton's Steakhouse, Stamford. The organization identifies Corporate Achiever honorees as “community leaders teaming up in the fight against multiple sclerosis,” a chronic and often disabling disease that affects the central nervous system. Firlotte said he raised funds for the MS Society after becoming aware of the ravaging effects the disease can have on people.

Lendeert (Len) DeJong, manager of Aquarion Water Company’s Watershed & Environmental Management Office, has been elected Secretary of the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) Board of Directors. DeJong has volunteered extensively with various environmental preservation organizations, and he has been involved with environmental initiatives in the Housatonic Valley for more than two decades.

Bruce Tomasko, manager of fixed asset accounting at Aquarion Water Company, is the 2008 recipient of Aquarion’s Laurel Award for outstanding volunteerism. The award is the highest honor the company bestows on its employees, and Bruce received it because he has averaged 55 hours a month volunteering as a Boy Scout leader in Stratford for the past 14 years. 

Charles V. Firlotte, President and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, delivered the keynote address at the Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s annual meeting in September at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby. In addition, he presented the organization with a $1,000 donation to mark the company’s 85th year as a CFPA member.

Aquarion Water Company recently donated six new suits to Dress for Success, a non-profit group based in Fairfield that provides interview outfits for disadvantaged women who are seeking to enter the workplace. In addition, the company provided six gift cards to Target stores so the recipients could purchase accessories.

Gigi Berg, executive assistant to Aquarion President and CEO Charles V. Firlotte, chaired a fund-raising cocktail party in October to benefit St. Vincent’s SWIM Foundation’s Breast Cancer Committee. The event took place in Aquarion’s headquarters on Main Street, Bridgeport. Gigi simultaneously chaired the committee that planned the SWIM’s annual luncheon for breast cancer survivors.

Six Aquarion Water company employees participated in Read-Aloud Day at Barnum School in October. Employees in both Bridgeport facilities also contributed school supplies for the start of school in September. Aquarion contributes to Barnum School because P.T. Barnum was the company’s second president.

Bruce T. Silverstone, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Aquarion Water Company, has joined the Stamford Museum and Nature Center’s Board of Directors. Aquarion has a partnership with the SM&NC to bring environmental and conservation programs to schools throughout Fairfield County. 

When Rotary Clubs from Fairfield and other area communities united for a clean-up project in parks and waterways October 4, Aquarion Water Company donated 150 pairs of work gloves and 360 garbage bags.

Charles V. Firlotte, President and CEO of Aquarion Water Company, received an award from Housatonic Community College, which stated that his “outstanding generosity demonstrates a commitment to building a strong community through education.”

Aquarion Water Company hosted two fishing trips for Bridgeport youth in October, one a group from the Cardinal Shehan Center, and the other a class of special needs students from Harding High School. Aquarion staff showed the youth how to cast and reel in their lines, and then continued to coach them at the water’s edge.

Aquarion Water Company has donated a truck from its fleet to the Town of Oxford. The company has a history of donating vehicles to not-for-profit groups, area municipalities and local police and fire departments.

Children in the after-school program at North Stratfield School in Fairfield had a surprise visit from Aquarion Water Company’s penguin mascot, Thirsty, who accompanied Public Relations Manager Lorraine Bukowski to help the children learn about water conservation.

Aquarion Water Company hosted six area high school students as participants of Junior Achievement’s Job Shadowing Day. Four students visited the company’s operations headquarters, and two spent time at the company’s headquarters, where they met President and CEO Charles V. Firlotte.

Employees at Aquarion Water Company committed to donating $50,689 to the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, surpassing the goal for the company’s 2008 campaign. Campaign Chairwoman Marcie Steer and co-chair Joe Welsh said the pledges came from 183 employees company-wide, including the Massachusetts and New Hampshire divisions.