PRESS RELEASE: Emergency Work to Begin on Coe Pond Dam in Ansonia

Emergency Work to Begin on Coe Pond Dam in Ansonia

ANSONIA, CT – The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is proceeding with emergency safety work at Coe Pond Dam in Ansonia.  Work will begin the week of September 30^th and continue for approximately two weeks. Construction will focus on enlarging a notch in a concrete spillway at the dam and will result in a lowering of the water level in Coe Pond by approximately 3 feet. This work is in response to the findings of an engineering report published in March of this year that determined that Coe Pond Dam is in poor condition. The report identified deficiencies at the Coe Pond Dam that, if not addressed, pose an immediate threat to public safety with the potential for loss of human life and property damage. Lowering the water level will reduce stress on the dam, and in turn reduce the immediate safety risk.  

Coe Pond Dam is part of the Kinneytown Dam Hydroelectric Facility.  The facility is currently owned by Kinneytown Hydro Inc., and is a federally regulated hydroelectric facility on the Naugatuck River consisting of two dams with non-functioning powerhouses in Seymour and Ansonia, CT. The NVCOG, representing 19 municipalities in west-central Connecticut, has been working with a coalition of partners to acquire and remove the non-operational Dam. Their goal in pursuing this project is to restore the river to its natural course, restore migratory fish passage, eliminate dam safety concerns, reduce up and down-stream flood risk, improve water quality, restore natural sediment flows, and restore access to the Naugatuck River for residents and visitors.  

In 2023, NVCOG received a $15 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Funding Opportunity under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund a project to acquire and remove Kinneytown Dam. NVCOG is now working to acquire the Kinneytown Dam facility, through the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. (CTBLB), conduct necessary decommissioning, engineering, and design, and ultimately remove the dam.   

As part of the due diligence related to the acquisition of the facility by the CTBLB, it was discovered during field investigation that Coe Pond Dam was in poor condition.  If Coe Pond Dam were to fail, it would threaten the safety of the adjacent Metro North Waterbury Branch commuter rail line. NVCOG notified relevant agencies of the concern in 2023 and commissioned an independent safety inspection to assess the condition and safety risk of Coe Pond Dam. 

An inspection of Coe Pond Dam was conducted by Gomez and Sullivan Engineers and an inspection report was provided to NVCOG on March 6, 2024.  The report details numerous deficiencies in the condition of Coe Pond Dam and explains that any one of them could lead to a breach of the dam at any time.  A breach would inundate and damage the adjacent commuter rail line with the potential for loss of human life and property. The report recommends the water level in Coe Pond be lowered as soon as possible to reduce the risk of dam failure.   

Removing the immediate safety threat is critical to the CTBLB’s continuing intent to acquire the Kinneytown Project for the purpose of removing the dam and restoring the Naugatuck River. NVCOG worked with the current dam owner and an engineer to develop a plan to lower the water level in Coe Pond. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the federal agency that regulates the facility, approved the plan on September 6^th, 2024. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has waived the 404 Water Quality Certification for the emergency work. Schumack Engineered Construction of Clinton, CT will be conducting the work. 

Residents should be aware that the entirety of Coe Pond and canal are on private property, and access is both forbidden and dangerous. Residents should also avoid direct contact with pond bottom sediment that will be exposed when the water level is lowered and may be contaminated.   

The dam safety inspection report and pond lowering plan are available on the NVCOG website: https://nvcogct.gov/kinneytown  

This project should not be confused with a separate CT Department of Transportation emergency project that is underway in Seymour to repair the washout of the railroad embankment just south of Kinneytown Dam. 

Additional Information  

Coe Pond Dam is a nearly 3,000 foot earthen dam impounding Coe Pond, part of a canal and reservoir system that once delivered water from above Kinneytown Dam to a powerhouse at the southern end of Coe Pond in Ansonia.  The dam was constructed around 1845. 

Kinneytown Dam Removal Project Partners include NVCOG, CTBLB, Save the Sound, the Naugatuck River Revival Group, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP). 

Links to additional resources:  

• NVCOG Interactive Story Map 

• NVCOG Flickr account for photos/video