Sports

Anchor's (Really Far) Away

Local Resident Wants Mooring 3,000 feet off Fairfield Beach Road

It's anchor's away - really far away - for a Fairfield man who wants to moor his 50-foot boat 3,000 feet into Long Island Sound from Fairfield Beach Road.

Philip DiGennaro, who owns a home on Fairfield Beach Road, initially requested a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection to anchor his boat about 2,000 feet into Long Island Sound over shellfish beds, but the town's Shellfish Commission didn't like the idea, saying waste from a bathroom on the boat could contaminate the beds. The commission also thought the anchor from DiGennaro's boat could destroy some of the beds and interfere with shellfish dredging and management of the beds.

That prompted town officials to suggest DiGennaro consider an alternative spot for his "non-harbor mooring" - in the wastewater treatment plant's outfall area, which is 3,000 feet offshore. A pipe from the plant on One Rod Highway travels under Fairfield Beach Road and then underwater into Long Island Sound to discharge effluent 3,000 feet from shore.

Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Town officials today noted that the wastewater treatment plant underwent a $42 million overhaul about 10 years ago and effluent from the plant is much cleaner than it used to be. DiGennaro wasn't available this afternoon, but town officials said he didn't object to the proposed new anchorage spot.

Town Public Works Director Richard White said in a memo to Town Conservation Director Thomas Steinke that he didn't have a problem with having an anchorage in the sewage outfall area, as long as it wasn't within 20 feet of the outfall pipe.

Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The new spot suggested for DiGennaro's vessel is in an area prohibited for shellfishing and is about 10 feet deep at low tide. DiGennaro would have to travel by boat to reach his 50-foot boat.

Members of the town's Harbor Management Commission on Tuesday reacted with bewilderment to DiGennaro's request, saying anchoring a boat in the middle of Long Island Sound could be a navigational hazard to other boaters, especially at night if DiGennaro's boat isn't illuminated, but also because it could become unhinged from its anchor during a storm and wind up being blown around the Sound.

DiGennaro's boat likely would be anchored with a "mushroom anchor" that is permanently affixed to the bottom of Long Island Sound and that would require DiGennaro to detach his boat above water, according to town officials.

Town officials today said they weren't aware of any other "non-harbor moorings" off Fairfield and that DiGennaro's request, if approved by the DEP, may set a precedent that allows other boaters to anchor their boats in the middle of Long Island Sound. But the Shellfish Commission said in a report that other boat owners "have also placed unpermitted non-harbor moorings in this area [over the shellfish beds] and more may be expected in the future."

Ed Crowley, Jr., chairman of the Shellfish Commission, said tonight that he had heard about the unpermitted non-harbor moorings, but hadn't seen them, and that he planned to go out in a police boat to see if he could identify who they belonged to. Crowley said boats aren't attached to them; that they're just anchors and buoys.

"They're going to be removed because they don't have permits. I haven't seen them, but the police department says they're out there," Crowley said, adding that shellfish beds extend from the shoreline thousands of feet into Long Island Sound.

Having a non-harbor mooring in Long Island Sound was less expensive than renting a slip at South Benson Marina, which also has a long waiting list, town officials said.

DiGennaro's request doesn't appear to come under the jurisdiction of any town boards, and members of the Harbor Management Commission, Conservation Commission and Shellfish Commission have only discussed it. Steinke on Tuesday said DiGennaro required a DEP permit for his non-harbor mooring.

The Shellfish Commission didn't seem to have a problem with DiGennaro anchoring his vessel by the sewage outfall area since it no longer would be over shellfish beds, and Steinke is supposed to provide the Conservation Commission with more information about DiGennaro's request in May.

Crowley said it seemed dangerous to allow a non-harbor mooring in the middle of Long Island Sound. "If it breaks loose in a storm, it could end up causing a problem," he said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here