‘The wetland is going to change’
Groups protest Norwalk dam repair project
NORWALK — Residents are not pleased with the First Taxing District’s plan to raise the height of the Grupes Reservoir Dam.
Frank Murphy, an attorney representing the First Taxing District, said at a Tuesday public hearing for the proposal that the plan would raise the height of the dam by 4 feet. The plan also calls for constructing 1,500 feet of berms and walls along the shore of the reservoir. The dam was constructed in 1871 and needs to be upgraded to avoid overflowing and lethal damage in case of a 500-year storm, Murphy said.
However, the New Canaan Land Trust and the Norwalk Watershed Association take issue with the environmental impact of the project, which calls for the removal of trees and shrubs along the reservoir that abuts the New Canaan Land Trust’s Browne Wildlife Sanctuary on Valley Road.
Both groups intervened to have a public hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, overseen by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
“We are intervening because we maintain there are alternatives that could be less harmful,” said Louise Washer, of the Norwalk Watershed Association and New Canaan Land Trust, at the hearing. “It’s a great thing only 5 percent of this project would affect the area we’re concerned about. That’s wonderful and that’s why we think an alternative could work that could save these wetlands. We completely support all dam safety measures, but our concern is the loss of
trees and shrubs.”
Washer added the removal of vegetation was not mentioned in the application for the project.
“Our concern is the wetland is going to change when a wall is put in,” she said. “We think a closer look needs to be taken at how the wetlands will survive.”
Murphy said the First Taxing District has considered other alternatives, but they could cause more damage to the wetlands and the dams.
The application for the project was filed in November 2018, but analysis of the dam came before that.
The project would not lead to any change in spillways or the amount of water in the reservoir.
David Michel, a state representative from Stamford with a history of backing environmental causes, also joined the call to voice his support for saving the wetlands, requesting the First Taxing District allow an assessment of the wildlife there.
“It’d be great to assess what wildlife we have there and what’s part of the ecosystem could be potentially altered,” Michel said.
Others expressed concerns about creatures like bats, birds and fish who live in the area.
Representatives from DEEP at the meeting confirmed prior inspections found deficiencies in the dam and the proposal was the most “prudent” solution.
“It remains a well-functioning dam but it needs to be upgraded to modernize the facility and meet current regulatory standards,” Murphy said.
“The objective of this entire plan is to prevent a runoff ... to keep water within the dam area and send water into the spillways down the stream. ... This is a necessary safety project required by state and federal regulation. It’s necessary to upgrade, maintain and preserve a reservoir almost 150 years old. There’s no reason to delay this project any further.”