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Norwalk River Watershed Dam Public Information and Participation Meeting

Event Date: 
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - 7:00pm

PUBLIC NOTICE:
Norwalk River Watershed Dam No. 2 Rehabilitation Plan Public Information and Participation Meeting USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, and Lender

The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), the project sponsor, is developing a rehabilitation plan for the multi-purpose flood control and wildlife reservoir dam located at Norwalk Site 2.

The dam is located east of Danbury Road (Route 35) and southeast of Fox Hill Drive and the Fox Hill Condominiums in Fairfield County, in the Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut.

The dam does not meet current NRCS design criteria and performance standards and is eligible for the NRCS Watershed Rehabilitation Program. To qualify for partial funding for rehabilitation improvements through the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Public Law 83- 566), NRCS and DEEP first must develop a Supplemental Watershed Plan – Environmental Assessment (EA) with input from stakeholders and the public. The plan evaluates the social, economic, and environmental impacts for each of the alternatives being considered including: No Federal Action, Decommissioning (dam removal), Structural Rehabilitation, and Non-Structural Measures. Planning activities will determine the best rehabilitation alternative that meets both current Connecticut Dam Safety Regulations and NRCS planning policy, design criteria, and performance standards. Currently, planning activities and analyses suggest the best course of action for this site may be dam removal. This alternative will be presented in detail.

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING WHERE YOUR INPUT IS REQUESTED

The public meeting will be held to discuss and answer questions regarding the planning activities todate, the various alternatives that were evaluated and analyzed, and the federal “Preferred Alternative” of dam removal that is currently being considered. The public will have another opportunity to review the Draft Plan-EA and provide input until August 20, 2021, before the plan is finalized. A copy of the plan can be found online at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/ct/technical/engineering/

Meeting Date: July 20, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Ridgefield Recreation Center (Charter Oak Room) 195 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877

For additional information, contact DEEP representative Charles Lee with DEEP at (860) 424-3716, or via email at [email protected].
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made by July 15, 2021 to NRCS representative Kristin Walker at (860) 871- 4033 or via email at [email protected].