Connecticut Delegation, NVCOG & Save the Sound Announce Federal Funding for Removal of Kinneytown Dam

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Jahana Hayes today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expected to award the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments up to $15 million to remove the Kinneytown Dam.

The recommended funding will allow NVCOG and its partners to finally achieve a longstanding environmental goal of restoring abundant fish passage from Long Island Sound up the Naugatuck River — improving the sound’s ecological diversity and fish stock. To receive the funding NVCOG must demonstrate compliance with certain program conditions.

The removal will open 29 miles of river for blueback herring, American shad, and alewife, as well as 28 tributary miles for American eel. The restoration of a free-flowing Naugatuck River will also be a boon to the economies of the Naugatuck River Valley towns and allow for the natural flow of sediment to Long Island Sound to resume, which would greatly benefit Connecticut’s thriving shellfish industry.

“This grant is a great win for Connecticut’s environment and a major victory for the Naugatuck Valley. All the Kinneytown Dam has done for years is prevent fish from getting up river — hampering ecological diversity and hamstringing the health of the Naugatuck River. Removing this dam means fish passage will be restored and the benefits will ripple all the way down to Long Island Sound,” Blumenthal said. “I’m thrilled that after so many years of fighting alongside our coalition of advocates and environmental groups, we delivered this major benefit to the Naugatuck Valley.”

“The removal of the Kinneytown Dam is a huge win for the health of the Naugatuck River, the fish and wildlife who depend on it, and the communities whose economic growth has been stunted for years. I’m grateful to the advocates who have led the charge on this and proud that thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can finally get rid of this blighted and harmful dam once and for all,” said Sen. Murphy. 

“For far too long, the deterioration of the Kinneytown Dam has been a major barrier to fish migration along the Naugatuck River and a source of great concern to the community of Seymour and their downstream neighbors. I have been proud to work with the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and local officials in their efforts to address the issues at Kinneytown,” said Rep. DeLauro. “With this funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and our regional and state partners can further their work in restoring the Naugatuck River.  The removal of the dam will not only restore natural fish migration, but also reduce flood risks to communities both up and downstream of the project as well as improve recreational boating and fishing along the Naugatuck River.” 

“For far too long, the Kinneytown Dam has hampered efforts to revitalize the Naugatuck River. I’m pleased that funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make it possible to remove this dam, restore safe and effective fish migration along the Naugatuck River to the Long Island Sound, and provide for our region’s long-term economic and environmental vitality,” said Rep. Himes.

“The Naugatuck Valley is home to a rich, biodiverse ecosystem that has suffered from years of inaction. Thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Kinneytown Dam will be restored, ensuring safe, timely and effective fish passage is established and migratory fish can return to the Naugatuck River. This funding is the culmination of the dedication and perseverance of our congressional delegation, state and local leaders, and the community. Restoration of the Naugatuck River will bolster fish migration to the Long Island Sound and provide economic opportunity throughout Connecticut. I will continue working alongside our partners to further our shared environmental goals,” said Rep. Hayes.

“The work that our coalition has done over the past several years has shown that removal of Kinneytown Dam is the only sensible way forward, and the most beneficial course for our region. The opportunity to take control of the facility at no cost has recently presented itself. This funding from NOAA comes at the perfect time. It will allow NVCOG and our partners to seize that opportunity, and begin the work that will lead to the complete removal of Kinneytown Dam,” said Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments Executive Director Rick Dunne

“The removal of the Kinneytown Dam is a critical step in restoring the Naugatuck River to its rightful place as an asset to the Naugatuck Valley communities. This funding recommendation is a huge step in the right direction, and we thank our Congressional delegation for their support of this important initiative. Fish must be able to migrate up the Naugatuck River so that we can finally reap the benefits of the public investments that have been made in river restoration,” said Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and Chairman of the NVCOG.

"The Naugatuck River, which once flowed different colors each day, is getting significant attention from the federal government," said Laura Wildman, Save the Sound Director of Ecological Restoration. "This is exciting for me because my involvement in this river started over two decades ago, when I was a project engineer focused on removing five upstream dams. Being able to finally address the first barrier on the system with Save the Sound feels very fitting and fulfilling. Our entire organization, particularly our legal team, has been tirelessly advocating for successful fish passage at Kinneytown Dam for years. This funding ensures that this once industrial sewer will return to the life-supporting, swiftly-flowing river that initially cascaded down the Naugatuck Valley."

In 1996, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) issued and began implementing a plan to restore fish migration up the Naugatuck River, one of the chief waterways in Central Connecticut. Fish passage had been blocked for many years by a myriad of dams and hydroelectric facilities built during the industrial and post-industrial age. Over time, the majority of these obstructions to fish passage have been removed — only the Kinneytown Dam, the lowest dam on the Naugatuck River, remains.

The Kinneytown Dam is part of two very small hydroelectric facilities under the oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Since 1983, FERC has required the provision of adequate fish passage, yet the current and most recent owners have failed to take any meaningful steps toward restoring robust fish passage. In 2020, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) noted that between 2003 and 2013 the average annual fish count through the Kinneytown Dam was a meager 892. Since 2013 — after the Ansonia power plant went offline — the average fish count plunged even further to 159 fish.

For the past three years, a consortium of local and state government leaders and environmental groups — strongly supported by the Connecticut congressional delegation— have been pushing to take down the dam and restore the fish passage.

This funding will allow for the removal of the Kinneytown Dam Facility, which includes both the Kinneytown Dam and the Canal Reservoir Dam. The dams are safety hazards due to potential for public injury and high risk of facility failure. The dam removal will reduce the flood risk to communities upstream and downstream of the project.  Public river access points are being planned for both sites, improving opportunities for boating and river use.

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