BOZRAH, Conn. — Contractors and state crews were back in Bozrah Thursday at the site of a dam that nearly burst under pressure from heavy rain and snow melt. Repairs are underway, while at the same time, we’re learning more about the dam’s dubious history.
The dam’s owner has not been communicating with state officials, nor has he returned a request for comment.
This is as contractors and crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are building a second sandbag dam in front of the Fitchville Dam.
“That way we will be able to take pressure off the dam,” said Charles Lee, the Assistant Director of Dam Safety Programs for DEEP.
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It’ll allow crews to inspect and repair the structure.
“We will be looking for cracks and loose mortar or tree roots to give us an idea where the leak came from,” said Lee.
That leak forced mandatory evacuations for business owners on Stockhouse Road like Andrew Letour, who recalled a visit from the Fire Marshal.
“He told me the water levels, if the dam broke, could reach about 5 feet which would cover a lot of my inventory and flood out my building.”
Luckily that didn’t happen, but a 2022 inspection report from state environmental officials revealed details about the dam’s long-neglected maintenance. It cited, ‘major cracks, wall deficiencies, earth erosion, a sinkhole and a collapsed wall.
"The dam’s overall condition was graded ‘poor," Lee remarked, “I think a lot of people don’t realize the liability and responsibility until they get into it.”
The Fitchville Pond Dam is privately owned by Bozrah businessman Seymour Adelman.
FOX61 was told Adelman was busy but would get in contact, but still has not made any comment. Andrew Letour used to work for Adelman.
“It’s a responsibility to not flood out the rest of the town and parts of Norwich. You have to keep it up if you own a piece of infrastructure.”
In addition to the inspection report, DEEP sent a list of enforcement actions taken against Adelman citing his “significant non-compliance” and “failure to respond to DEEP’s concerns.”
Private dam owners are also required to submit and update emergency action plans to the state. The last time one was filed for the Fitchville dam was in 1982.
There are about 4,000 privately owned dams across Connecticut.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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