Clean Water • Land Protection • Fisheries • Climate & Resiliency • Environmental Justice
When the government fails its duty to protect land, air, and water, federal and state environmental laws give citizens and nonprofit organizations like Save the Sound the authority to take action. Legal action has been a pillar of Save the Sound’s effectiveness since our founding, and over the five decades since, we’ve consistently taken polluters to court and won. Yet while much progress has been made, much remains to be achieved—we are always on watch for emerging threats to public health and our natural resources.
Here are just some of our current and recent legal actions to protect your right to healthy waters, clean air, and thriving natural lands.
NOTE: This page is a work in progress; please check back for updates as the status of cases and details of actions change.
Active Legal Actions
Clean Water Strategic Litigation and Advocacy
Comprehensive Long Island Sound Nitrogen Pollution Strategy – Save the Sound has a multi-faceted litigation and administrative advocacy campaign to end nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound and the dead zones, toxic algae bloom and other harms it causes.
Updated September 24, 2024: Long Island Sound Nitrogen Campaign
Sewage Free Long Island Sound Strategic Litigation – Save the Sound is bringing cases throughout the LIS region to stop raw and partially treated sewage from being discharged to the Sound.
Updated September 24, 2024: Swimmable Waters for NYC
Updated September 24, 2024: Norwalk Sewage Overflows
Updated October 7, 2024: Westchester County Sewage Overflows
Updated September 26, 2024: Darien Sewage Overflows
Updated November 17, 2022: Greater Hartford (MDC) Sewage Overflows
Updated October 4, 2024: Bridgeport Sewage Overflows
Stormwater Pollution Strategic Litigation and Advocacy– Save the Sound is investigating and bringing cases throughout the LIS region to require municipalities and others to address stormwater pollution which is the biggest driver of water pollution today.
Updated October 4, 2024: Stormwater Pollution and Municipal Separate Storm System (MS4) permits
Land Protection Strategic Litigation and Advocacy – Protecting the Region’s Forests, Open Space, and Habitats
Updated November 24, 2023: Oswegatchie Hills Lawsuit – Protecting the Last Mile
Updated November 24, 2023: Plum Island Lawsuit
Fisheries Cases
Updated November 24, 2023: Taking Down Kinneytown Dam to Restore Historic Fish Runs
Updated September 26, 2024: Loper-Bright Enterprises, et al. v. Raimondo – Protecting Threatened Fisheries
Updated October 4, 2024: Rainbow Dam, Protecting the Farmington River
Climate & Resiliency Cases
Updated September 26, 2024: Tweed Airport Expansion
Updated September 26, 2026: Iroquois Pipeline
Environmental Justice Cases
Updated September 26, 2024: Wheeler Street – Environmental Justice Action
Updated October 4, 2024: AB Eco Park
Historic Legal Actions
Long Island State Parks Nitrogen Lawsuit
Protecting Connecticut Water Company Lands
Greater New Haven WPCA 2.1 Million Gallon Sewage Overflows into Mill River
Aquarion Lands/Converse Brook Preserve
Read about more of Save the Sound’s most impactful and groundbreaking past legal actions.