Newtown Environmentalist Elected To HVA Board

Newtowner 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.

Mr DeJong has extensive experience in environmental conservation through his responsibilities at Aquarion Water Company. He also has volunteered extensively with the American Water Works Association, which he has served as international director and past chairman of the Connecticut chapter.

In addition, Mr DeJong is a past board member of Water For People, and past chairman of the Roxbury Inland Wetlands Commission. He has been involved with environmental initiatives in the Housatonic Valley for more than two decades.

The HVA, a tri-state nonprofit citizens’ group, has worked to protect and restore the natural character and environmental health of the Housatonic River and its watershed for 67 years.

Its volunteers monitor water quality; conduct cleanup projects along the river and the streams that feed it; and add sections to the Housatonic RiverBelt Greenway, linking preserved space along the river with hiking and biking trails.

Aquarion Water Company, headquartered in Bridgeport, is a water utility company serving 680,000 people in 36 communities throughout Connecticut, including part of Newtown.