U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today led a successful amendment to the Water Resources Development Act to return the Old Stonington Wharf back to the town for future development.

The wharf is an historic landmark of great significance to Stonington and the region, symbolizing the community’s strong sea-faring and maritime heritage. It was built in the late 1820s and served Stonington as an essential resource, providing access to the town’s harbor and protection against storm surges. Over the past several decades, the wharf’s condition has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and care.

In an effort to revitalize this celebrated marker, the town created a commission to oversee the revitalization and maintenance of the wharf, and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection granted permission to the commission to begin this process. The town was ready, willing and able to assume control, but the local commission could not begin their work until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decommissioned the wharf so the town can assume control.

Blumenthal and Murphy urged the authors of the Water Resources Development Act to include language that would decommission the wharf and provide Stonington the local control it needs to proceed with their historic effort.

“The Old Stonington Wharf is an historic treasure—a proud symbol of the town’s sea-faring and maritime heritage. The wharf has unacceptably been allowed to deteriorate under inadequate stewardship by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and we applaud local efforts to reclaim and revitalize this celebrated marker. We were proud to help lead efforts today to return the wharf back to its rightful hands, and urge the House to adopt this measure,” Blumenthal and Murphy said.