ANSONIA, Conn — Crews began emergency repair work on the Coe Pond Dam in Ansonia on Monday.
The work is focused on enlarging a notch in a concrete spillway at the dam to lower the water levels by about three feet. It follows a recent study that found the dam is in poor condition and needs immediate attention.
“The concern is that the dam would overtop, water would overtop, and then breach the dam. Or a tree, which there are trees growing on the dam, if a tree toppled, it could also breach the dam. And if there was an uncontrolled release, it could also wash out the railroad tracks,” said Aaron Budris, the environmental planning director of Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, or NVCOG.
Beneath the dam sits the Metro-North Waterbury branch line railroad tracks. Budris said it’s the main point of concern, as of now.
The dam is currently owned by Kinneytown Hydro Inc. The NVCOG is in the process of buying out the property through the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, which would hold the property while work is done to mitigate the environmental issues at the plant.
“As part of our due diligence through the acquisition for the property, we went out and inspected the dams and found that the Coe Pond Dam was in really poor condition,” Budris said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, oversees the facility and came to the same conclusion. FERC ordered the dam owner to lower the water level as a safety measure. On behalf of the owner, NVCOG hired a contractor to complete the repairs.
“The work that’s being done now is just sort of the immediate, to deal with the immediate safety problem. And then, you know, as part of the design of the overall Kinneytown Dam Removal Project, we're going to be trying to figure out what can and will be done,” Budris said.
Ultimately, Budris said that could mean the removal of the Coe Pond Dam. However, that’s still up in the air.
Some neighbors, like those along North Fourth Street, are in favor of the removal. Many site issues like constant standing water and backup of debris which causes an influx of bugs, animals and mosquitoes in the area.
“In the summertime when it’s really hot down below here, it stinks. It really stinks so they should tear it all down, fill it in, and leave it at that,” Victor Tylinski of Ansonia said.
For those on top of the hill, like on Hubbell Avenue, a potential removal of the dam could mean less or no more water.
“I bought the house basically for the water view,” Danny Baia of Ansonia said. “If they get rid of the water, then everything’s gone and, I just don’t know where to go from there.”
Budris said NVCOG and other partners are considering the residents' input as they make plans for the future of the property.
“We’re going to take all those concerns from neighbors into account when we do the design and we want feedback from the communities to make sure that what we’re doing in their backyards is okay with them,” Budris said.
At the same time, plans are in place for the removal of the Kinneytown Dam just a mile away in Seymour, owned by the same company. In that case, Budris said fish are being trapped by the dam and can’t make their way up the river.
The Kinneytown Dam, like the Coe Pond Dam, has not been in service for years.
“The cost to repair either of them just far exceeds what those hydro facilities could produce in electricity. So, it’s just a matter of you know, it really does not serve a purpose anymore. And we’re sort of stepping in to do something about it, so it doesn’t just become an abandoned facility that sits there and continues to be a safety hazard,” Budris said.
As for the emergency repair work, Budris said it’s expected to take about two weeks.
The owner of Kinneytown Hydro Inc. shared that the work being done at the dam is of great benefit to the community and should be celebrated.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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