The bill was sponsored by Representative Nancy Johnson (long-time rep from the sixth district-R). We had to overcome the strong Democratic opposition to the protection of the river. The senior member of the CT delegation was the daughter of the founder of the Metropolitan District Commission (FDC), the water company for Hartford, CT. They wanted to divert most of the flow of the river for water supply. It took a real grassroots effort from across the state for the Farmington River Watershed Association to get the river designated.