1. Record of Decision for Ox Brook Flood Control Master Plan
Addresses of Possible Project Locations: Various locations along Ox Brook in the city of Bridgeport, extending from Elton Rogers Park at the north end to Lincoln Boulevard at the south end of the Project.
Municipality where proposed action is to be located: Bridgeport
Project Description: The Ox Brook corridor in the city of Bridgeport has been subject to repeated flooding over a period of decades and the area has been studied since the 1970s. Flooding along Ox Brook has resulted in repeated damages to residential properties and commercial and industrial businesses, infrastructure damages, roadway and sidewalk closures and detours, emergency response needs, and health hazards for residents, among other impacts.
The Proposed Action is the implementation of the Ox Brook Flood Control Master Plan, a six‐phase project, to alleviate chronic flooding along the Ox Brook corridor. Phase 1 of the project is currently funded by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which is the Sponsoring Agency for the Project.
The project is located generally along Ox Brook in the city of Bridgeport, CT, roughly extending from Elton Rogers Park at the north (upstream) end (off Kaechele Place) to Lincoln Boulevard at the south (downstream) end (between Lincoln Ave. and Garfield Ave.). Phase 1 of the Project has progressed through permitting level design with permit applications submitted, while the remaining Phases (Phases 2‐6) are at the preliminary design phase. The overall Project is anticipated to take decades to complete and funding has only been identified for Phase 1 at this time. The six phases are as follows:
• Phase 1: Dam rehabilitation and detention area construction at Elton Rogers Park;
• Phase 2: Construction of a diversion to the Svihra Park area and detention area construction;
• Phase 3: Channel and crossing improvements from Lincoln Boulevard to Quince Street;
• Phase 4: Channel and crossing improvements from Rocton Avenue to Burnsford Avenue;
• Phase 5: Channel and crossing improvements from Burnsford Avenue to Lourmel Street; and
• Phase 6: Construction of the Island Brook diversion to the Elton Rogers detention area, additional excavation within the Elton Rogers Park impoundment area to increase stormwater detention storage, and connection of a new discharge from the dam to Lourmel Street.
Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) Determination: On February 22, 2022, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection published a Notice of Availability of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE), in accordance with Section 22a-1d of CEPA, in the Environmental Monitor.
DEEP held a virtual public hearing on March 29, 2022.
Comments were received from the general public and from the Council of Environmental Quality and the State Historic Preservation Office. DEEP has prepared responses to the substantive issues raised in the comments on the EIE and on supplemental materials or amendments. DEEP's conclusion is documented in the Record of Decision for the proposed action.
Agency contact:
Name: Frederick Riese
Agency: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106
Phone: 860-424-4110
E-Mail: Frederick.Riese@ct.gov
Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring state agency.
What happens next: DEEP has submitted the Record of Decision to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) for review. OPM's determination regarding the Record of Decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.