Conn. takes first look at new shoreline land rules

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut is taking the first small steps to change shoreline land-use regulations to avoid a repeat of the destruction caused by storms last year and in 2011.

State legislators are considering a bill to require more stringent water treatment plant design to qualify for state funding. It's intended to make sure treatment plants can withstand storms and do not spill wastewater into Long Island Sound or other bodies of water.

Another bill would require officials to consider a projected rise in the sea level in planning for emergencies, evacuations and natural disasters. A third measure calls for studying information from federal agencies and other coastal states.

Sen. Edward Meyer says lawmakers sidestepped a bigger issue of whether the state should order municipalities to change building code rules.