Crumbling foundations data
Homes in Connecticut built with concrete from the JJ Mottes Concrete Company in Stafford Springs between 1983-2015 may have crumbling foundations due to the possible presence of a naturally occurring iron sulfide, pyrrhotite, which causes the slow deterioration of the concrete when exposed to oxygen and
water. The exact number of homes affected is unknown, but it is estimated to be as high as 35,000.
The State of Connecticut is providing assistance to homeowners by providing funding for two types of tests to confirm the presence of pyrrhotite: a visual test by a licensed engineer or a core test conducted at an approved lab. More information can be found on the Department of Housing website.
Public Act 19-192 requires the Chief Data Officer to develop and implement a plan to collect the data necessary to conduct research regarding crumbling foundations. The Chief Data Officer, in consultation with the Department of Housing and the Office of Policy and Management’s Intergovernmental Policy and
Planning Division, has begun to collect datasets relating to crumbling foundations, including town-level assessor’s data and results from crumbling foundations testing programs. This document provides detail on the data collected by the Office of Policy and Management as of March 17, 2020.
Request data
CGS section 32-41qq states that any data collected is confidential and exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The data may be made available for research purposes subject to data sharing agreements that maintain the confidentiality of personally identifying information and the specific location of any property.
To request access to the datasets outlined in this document, contact the Chief Data Officer, Scott Gaul, at scott.gaul@ct.gov.
OPM has compiled three primary datasets to support research into crumbling foundations: 1) Crumbling Foundations Testing Reimbursement Program Database, 2) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Crumbling Foundations Testing Database, and 3) Assessors’ Database Extracts for Towns Affected by Crumbling Foundations. An overview of each dataset is summarized below, followed by a summary of column metadata for each dataset, including the column name, description, data type, and allowable values (if applicable).
An overview of the crumbling foundations data is available in the Crumbling Foundations Data Dictionary.