FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday May 1, 2024

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO INCREASE DAM INSPECTIONS, DAM SAFETY IN CONNECTICUT

HARTFORD – Nearly four months after the wingwall of the privately owned Fitchville Pond Dam in Bozrah sprang a leak with the potential of flooding local streets and businesses, State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today voted for a dam safety bill that allows the state to order a private dam owner to fix a problem when a dam is threatening, or about to threaten, public safety or the environment.

Senate Bill 192, “AN ACT CONCERNING DAM SAFETY,” passed the Senate on a bipartisan and unanimous 36-0 vote and now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“My fear is that there’s a hodge-podge of dams in various conditions across the state, and we only find out which ones are on the verge of collapsing when there’s a major weather event like all the rain we got in January, which overwhelmed the Fitchville Pond Dam. And we’re seeing more and more of these major weather events on a regular basis,” Sen. Osten said. “When a dam is on the verge of breaching and there are people and businesses downstream that are in immediate danger, time is of the essence. This bill helps the state respond much more quickly.”

About 3,300 of the 4,000 dams in Connecticut are privately owned. SB 192 explicitly prohibits anyone from maintaining a dam in a condition that might endanger life or property (unless it is solely contained to the dam owner’s property), and it expands the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s authority to respond to conditions that threaten public safety or the environment.

Existing state law requires the DEEP to investigate and inspect dams that could cause loss of life or property damage if they broke away. The new bill allows that — without prior hearing – DEEP can order a private dam owner to fix a problem when a dam is threatening, or about to threaten, public safety or the environment. A hearing must be held after the order is issued.

In these circumstances, DEEP would make the person who owns the dam liable for the costs of fixing it, including the cost of hiring any private contractors to do the work.

The construction of dams in Connecticut began with the arrival of the first colonial settlers in the 1630s. Soon, mill dams facilitated economic development and production of grain, cotton and wood in Connecticut’s early history. As the state’s economy evolved, dams were used for manufacturing, water supply, mechanical power and for fire protection. DEEP maintains a computerized inventory of over 4,000 dams in Connecticut of which about 84% are held privately.

The 2024 legislative session ends at midnight on Wednesday, May 8.

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