Lake Whitney Dam Rehabilitation
Notice of Scoping for South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority Rehabilitation of Lake Whitney Dam
Address of possible location: Within Lake Whitney south of Davis Street down to the existing dam on Whitney Avenue. Access for construction is expected to be from Whitney Avenue and Davis Street.
Municipality where proposed action might be located: Hamden
Project Description: The Lake Whitney Dam and Lake Whitney are critical water supply infrastructure necessary for the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (SCCRWA) to provide clean and abundant drinking water. The Lake Whitney Dam was originally constructed in 1861 and has been improved over the years to impound the lake to serve as a reservoir feeding the Lake Whitney Water Treatment Plant to supply at an average rate of 4 million gallons per day. The SCCRWA has conducted inspections and analyses that have identified items related to the durability of the dam. While minor dam stability improvements have been included in previous dam expansion projects, there have been no projects completed since the dam’s original construction that have been solely performed to significantly improve the dam’s stability. The proposed project will improve stability (to prevent sliding or overturning of the dam), reduce seepage (leakage of water through the dam) and increase spillway capacity (ability to convey normal water flow over the dam). The Lake Whitney Dam is a Class C high hazard dam in accordance with the Connecticut Dam Safety Regulations (Section 22a-409-1 and 2). By regulatory definition, failure of a Class C dam would result in “probable” loss of life. If a failure of the Lake Whitney Dam were to occur and result in an extended loss of supply availability during a historical drought of record, the SCCRWA would be at risk of not having adequate reservoir storage to provide a reliable source of public drinking water supply to the region. This has potentially catastrophic implications for public health and safety, including shortages of water for fire-fighting and critical customers such as hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. Furthermore, a dam failure or loss of the reservoir would also have dire economic consequences, including impacts to manufacturing, food services, recreation activities, and the agricultural industry.
The dam is part of the original Eli Whitney Gun Factory Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. SCCRWA has been in discussion about this project with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and other stakeholder groups.
SCCRWA has considered many alternative design approaches to seek solutions to a variety of issues, including cost savings and minimizing impacts to the environment. The selected alternative is to repair the dam on the upstream side, thus preserving the historic façade of the dam.
Project Map: Click here to view a map of the project area.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: October 16, 2025.
Any person may ask the sponsoring agency to hold a public scoping meeting by sending such a request to the address below. If a public scoping 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: September 26, 2025.
Written comments and/or requests for a public scoping meeting should be sent to
Name: Eric McPhee
Agency: Department of Public Health, Planning & Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Section
Address: 410 Capitol Avenue, MS #12DWS, PO Box 340308, Hartford, CT 06134-0308
E-Mail: DPH.SourceProtection@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:
Agency: Department of Public Health, Hearing Office
Website: https://dphct.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/
E-Mail: DPH.foi@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.