July 6, 2021
- Notice of Scoping for Hop River State Park Trail, Columbia and Coventry.
- NEW! Notice of Scoping for Avery Park Revitalization Initiative – Woodland Springs Phase II, Stafford Springs
Scoping Notice - Post-Scoping Notice (Need More Time)
No notice for additional time has been submitted for publication in this edition.
No Post-Scoping Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE)
- Notice of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for City of Bridgeport Facilities Planning for East Side and West Side Wastewater Treatment Plants, Bridgeport.
- NEW! Final Environmental Assessment for the Connecticut Army National Guard Readiness Center, Putnam
No Record of Decision has been submitted for publication in this edition.
No Determination of Adequacy Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
No State Land Transfer Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on July 20, 2021.
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Inquiries and requests to view or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring state agency.
Scoping Notice
"Scoping" is for projects in the earliest stages of planning. At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist. Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study. Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated. Read More
1. Notice of Scoping for Hop River State Park Trail
Municipalities where proposed action might be located: Columbia and Coventry
Project Description: The project is located on the existing Hop River State Park Trail, beginning at its current terminus on Kings Road in Coventry and extending easterly to the trail bridge over the Willimantic River in Columbia. The total length of the project is approximately 4,400 feet.
The project includes the construction of a multi-use trail with a 10 foot wide stone dust surface. Also included in the project, is the construction of a new bridge over the Hop River, just east of Kings Road in Coventry, to replace a former railroad bridge (No. 2.53) that has failed, the replacement of a short bridge (referred to as a "cattle crossing") with concrete pipes, and the replacement of a culvert under Flanders Road in Columbia with a larger one. Signage, fencing, bollards, landscaping, and access control gates will be installed throughout the project limits as appropriate. The addition of a parking lot to the project is being considered north of where Route 66 passes over the Willimantic River. The bridge and the trail lie within right of way owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Bridge No. 2.53 is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and the CT State Historic Preservation Office (CTSHPO) has determined that its replacement will result in an Adverse Effect to Historic Properties. CTDOT will work with CTSHPO to implement the proposed mitigation measures required for the impact to the bridge. The SHPO determination including the proposed mitigation measures can be Bridge No. 2.53 is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and the CT State Historic Preservation Office (CTSHPO) has determined that its replacement will result in an Adverse Effect to Historic Properties. CTDOT will work with CTSHPO to implement the proposed mitigation measures required for the impact to the bridge. The CTSHPO determination, including the proposed mitigation measures, can be found by clicking here.
Project Map: Click here to view a map of the project area and Click here for a picture of Bridge No. 2.53.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: Friday July 9, 2021
Any person may ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below. If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting. Such requests must be made by Friday June 18, 2021.
A Public Informational Meeting was previously held on June 25, 2019 and the Meeting Minutes can be accessed here.
Written comments and/or requests for a public scoping meeting (E-Mail preferred) should be sent to:
Name: Kevin Fleming, Transportation Planner
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Office of Environmental Planning
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: dot.EnvironmentalPlanning@ct.gov
If you have questions about the project, contact (E-Mail preferred):
Name: Scott Roberts, P.E., Project Manager
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Engineering and Construction
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
Phone: 860-594-3232
E-Mail: Scott.Roberts@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:
Name: Ms. Alice M. Sexton
Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Office of Legal Services
Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131
E-Mail: Alice.Sexton@ct.gov
What Happens Next: The sponsoring agency will make a determination whether to proceed with preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the project does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.
2. Notice of Scoping for Avery Park Revitalization Initiative – Woodland Springs Phase II
Address: 55 Woodland Springs Drive
Municipality: Stafford Springs, CT
Project Description:
Avery Park Revitalization Initiative - Woodland Springs Phase II, is planned with 79 single bedroom units of new housing for elderly and disabled residents on a partially developed 40 acre parcel of land located at 87 West Stafford Road in Stafford, CT. This is the second phase of a two-phase project. Woodland Springs Phase I was built in 2018 and also includes 79 one-bedroom units for elderly and disabled residents. The scope of work for Phase II will include the new construction of two multi-story apartment buildings and multiple cottage-style apartment buildings along with all necessary site and utility work. The new housing will use energy and resource efficient materials, engineering, and construction methods, and is being designed with 100% ADA accessibility in mind.
This project is urgently needed. Residents will be moved from the 40 + year old, 110 unit complex at Avery Park Apartments at 85 and 91 West Street which is rapidly deteriorating and presenting unsafe, unsanitary and hazardous conditions to an elderly and disabled population. The Housing Authority of the Town of Stafford plans for the existing Avery Park Apartments site include future renovations or redevelopment in order to increase the availability of affordable housing units for the town.
The Woodland Springs Phase II project is slated to receive federal HOME funds through the Department of Housing and will meet stringent environmental requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The site has not been identified to contain any critical habitat or endangered species or archeological significance. The State Historic Preservation Office has determined that no historic properties will be effected and the project has received local approvals from the Town of Stafford Planning & Zoning and the Inland Wetlands Commission.
Project Maps:
Click here to view a Vicinity Map of the project area.
Click here to view a Site Plan of the entire project area (see highlighted areas – Phase I (existing) & Phase II (proposed)) (MA-1).
Click here to view the Proposed Phase II Site Layout Plan (LA-1).
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: Thursday, August 5th, 2021.
Any person may ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below. If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting. Such requests must be made by Friday July 16th, 2021.
Written comments and/or requests for a public scoping meeting should be sent to:
Name: JaCinta Frazier
Agency: Department of Housing
Address: 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, CT 06106
E-Mail: DOH.CEPA@ct.gov
If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact:
Name: JaCinta Frazier
Agency: Department of Housing
Address: 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, CT 06106
E-Mail: DOH.CEPA@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:
Name: Randi Pincus, Staff Attorney
Agency: Department of Housing
Address: 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, CT 06106
E-Mail: Randi.Pincus@ct.gov
What Happens Next: The sponsoring agency will make a determination whether to proceed with preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the project does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.
Scoping Notice - Post-Scoping Notice (Need More Time)
If an agency is unable to publish a Post-Scoping Notice within six months after the comment period for scoping, the agency will publish an update with an action status and an estimate as to when a Post-Scoping Notice will be published. Such an update will be published by the agency at six-month intervals until the Post-Scoping Notice is published. Read More
Post-Scoping Notice
A Post-Scoping Notice is the determination by a sponsoring agency, after publication of a Scoping Notice and consideration of comments received, whether an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) needs to be prepared for a proposed State action. Read More
EIE Notice
After Scoping, an agency that wishes to undertake an action that could significantly affect the environment must produce, for public review and comment, a detailed written evaluation of the expected environmental impacts. This is called an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE). Read More
1. Notice of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for City of Bridgeport Facilities Planning for East Side and West Side Wastewater Treatment Plants
Addresses of Possible Project Locations: East Side WPCF, 695 Seaview Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06607 and West Side WPCF, 205 Botswick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06607
Municipality where proposed action is to be located: Bridgeport
Project Description: The scoping notice for this project was published in the October 6, 2020 edition of the Environmental Monitor and a virtual public scoping meeting was held on October 29, 2020. The post scoping notice for this project was published January 5, 2021.
The City of Bridgeport owns and operates two wastewater treatment plants that serve the combined sewer overflow (CSO) community, where both sanitary sewage and stormwater are carried in a single pipe. The wastewater treatment plants are the subject of Administrative Order AOWRMU19001 issued by DEEP on March 1, 2019. In response to this order, a facilities plan was submitted to DEEP on November 24, 2020. Through the Council on Environmental Quality website, the engineering report was submitted for scoping and post-scoping, and a Public Hearing was held. Based on the engineering report, comments received during scoping and post-scoping, and comments from the public hearing, an environmental impact evaluation was completed.
Updates will be made to two wastewater treatment plants (the 13.9-acre West Side plant and the 8.3-acre East Side plant) in southern Bridgeport to bring the facilities into compliance with public safety and environmental health compliance. Work will include the retention and retrofitting of much of the existing facilities, as well as the construction of new buildings, and demolition of several buildings and structures on the sites which will occur entirely within the current parcel boundary. Following local and state approvals of the concepts, the design phase is expected to start Spring 2021 with completion of both plants expected by October 2028.
The City of Bridgeport is already under an enforcement action to upgrade both wastewater treatment plants. The enforcement will be updated to memorialize the schedule of the treatment plant upgrades.
Project Map: Map of Project Area
The public can view a copy of this EIE here.
Scoping Notice and Post Scoping Notice: The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection published a Scoping Notice on October 6, 2020 and a Post-Scoping Notice on January 5, 2021 for the proposed project in the Environmental Monitor.
Comments on this EIE will be accepted until the close of business on: Friday, July 23, 2021
A public hearing may be requested by 25 persons or by an association having more than 25 members within 10 days of this notice's publication, June 18, 2021. If you have questions about a public hearing, or other questions about this project, contact Ms. Straut, as directed below.
Send your written comments via email about this EIE to:
Name: Ann Straut, Sanitary Engineer 3
Agency: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
E-Mail: ann.straut@ct.gov
If you have questions about this EIE, or similar matters, please contact:
Name: Ann Straut, Sanitary Engineer 3
Agency: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford CT 06106
E-Mail: ann.straut@ct.gov
What happens next: The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will review the comments received and may conduct further environmental study and analysis or amend the evaluation. DEEP will prepare responses to the substantive issues raised in review of and comment on the EIE and any supplemental materials or amendments. Those responses and all supplemental materials and comments shall be made available in a "Record of Decision" which will appear in the Environmental Monitor for public inspection.
2. Final Environmental Assessment for the Connecticut Readiness Center in Putnam, CT
Connecticut Army National Guard/Connecticut Military Department
Municipalities where the Proposed Action might be located: Putnam, CT
Address of Proposed Action Location: 376 and 390 Pomfret Street (Route 44)
Project Description: The Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) proposes to approve the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) which evaluates the potential environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic impacts of creating a new Readiness Center in the town of Putnam, CT to support the CTARNG 643rd Military Police. The Putnam Readiness Center (PRC) will consist of an assembly hall for Guardsmen to utilize, along with equipment storage areas and parking lots. These facilities will restore the training, administrative, and logistical requirements the CTARNG has lacked in northeast Connecticut for over a decade.
The PRC is planned to be constructed on land owned by the State of Connecticut and previously occupied by the John N. Dempsey Center. The Proposed Action for the PRC includes an approximately 45,000 square foot Readiness Center, a parking lot for the CTARNG organization and two privately-owned vehicle parking lots.
Project Map: Existing Location and Proposed Action figures are attached.
Scoping Notice: The CTARNG published a Scoping Notice on April 16, 2019 for the proposed project in the Environmental Monitor.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: August 20, 2021.
The public can view a copy of this EIE click here or at the locations listed below, where it will be available from: July 1, 2021
· CTARNG Public Affairs Office, 360 Broad Street, Hartford, CT 06105
· Putnam Public Library, 225 Kennedy Drive, Putnam, CT 06260
If a public hearing is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a hearing. Such requests must be made by: July 16, 2021.
Written comments and/or requests for a Public Hearing should be sent to:
Name: Mr. Robert Dollak, Environmental Program Manager
Agency: Connecticut Military Department/Connecticut Army National Guard
Address: 360 Broad Street, Hartford CT 06105
Phone: (860) 524-4945
E-Mail: robert.f.dollak.nfg@mail.mil
If you have questions about this project, contact:
Name:Mr. Robert Dollak, Environmental Program Manager
Agency: Connecticut Military Department/Connecticut Army National Guard
Address: 360 Broad Street, Hartford CT 06105
Phone: (860) 524-4945
E-Mail: robert.f.dollak.nfg@mail.mil
What happens next: The CTARNG will review the comments received and may conduct further environmental study and analysis or amend the evaluation. The CTARNG will prepare responses to the substantive issues raised in review of and comment on the EIE/EA and any supplemental materials or amendments. Those responses and all supplemental materials and comments shall be made available in a "Record of Decision" which will appear in the Environmental Monitor for public inspection.
Agency Record of Decision
After an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) is developed, an agency will prepare a concise public record of decision, which takes into consideration the agency’s findings in the EIE, and any comments received on that evaluation. Read More
OPM's Determination of Adequacy
After an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) is developed. the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) will determine if the EIE is adequate. If not, OPM will specify the areas of inadequacy with reference to CEPA or the CEPA regulations and specify the corrective action required. Read More
State Land Transfer Notice
Connecticut General Statutes Section 4b-47 requires public notice of most proposed sales and transfers of state-owned lands. The public has an opportunity to comment on any such proposed transfer. Each notice includes an address where comments should be sent. Read more about the process.
CEPA Project Inventory
The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) maintains a list of projects the have entered the CEPA process. It shows each project's status. The inventory can be found here.
All inquiries and requests of the Council should be sent electronically to: peter.hearn@ct.gov.
