Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut, Stamford
Notice of Tentative Determination to Approve an Application for a Dam Safety Permit & Water Quality Certificate and Intent to Waive Public Hearing
Applicant(s): Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut
Application No: DS-202304368 & WQC-202308626
City/Town: Stamford
Dam Name & DEEP ID No: Brush Reservoir Dam, ID #13504, A (Low) Hazard
The Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) hereby gives notice that a tentative determination has been reached to approve the following application. The Commissioner also intends to waive the requirement for public hearing pursuant to Section 22a-403 of the Connecticut General Statutes for a dam safety permit.
The Commissioner also gives notice that a hearing may be held on this dam safety permit if the Commissioner determines that the public interest will best be served thereby or shall hold a hearing upon receipt of a petition as described below.
Application No.: DS-202304368 & WQC-202308626
Applicant’s Name and Address: Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut, 600 Lindley Street, Bridgeport, CT 06606
Contact Name/Phone No/Email: Dennis Fields, dfields@aquarionwater.com, 203-337-5957
Type of Permit: New Permit Dam Safety and 401 Water Quality Certification
Project Description: Repair/Modify an existing dam
Project Location: The dam is located on East Middle Patent Road which leads into Barn Hill Road in North Stamford. The dam can be accessed via a gravel drive off of Barn Hill Road.
Water(s): Gray’s Pond Brook
REGULATORY CONDITIONS
The proposed activities include the following: widening, deepening, and lowering the existing spillway, lowering the dam crest by 1 foot, replacing unsound concrete on the dam, adding a riprap buttress on the downstream face of the dam, and replacing the low-level outlet control valve. The normal pool elevation will be lowered by 4.5 feet and wetland plantings will be placed in the former inundated area.
The proposed activities will impact 9,055 square feet of wetlands associated with Gray’s Pond Brook. Additionally, 25,030 square feet of open water in the impoundment will be converted to vegetated wetland.
INFORMATION REQUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
This application has been assigned No. DS-202304368 and WQC-202308626; please use these numbers when corresponding with DEEP regarding this application. Interested persons may obtain copies of the application from the applicant at the above address, through appointment only. Electronic copies of the application and supporting documentation can be provided to interested persons via email. Any such requests for electronic documents may be directed to Lariab Afzaal of the Dam Safety section at 860-874-8476 or Lariab.Afzaal@ct.gov.
Before making a final decision on this application, the Commissioner shall consider written comments on the application from interested persons. Written comments on the application should be directed to the staff person indicated above no later than thirty (30) days from the publication date of this notice. Written comments may also be submitted in paper form to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection located at 79 Elm Street, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse Hartford, CT. In this submittal, please identify the name of the staff assigned to the application, the permit application number and your phone number and/or email address to facilitate responses to your comments. You may contact the staff person identified in this notice with any questions you may have.
PETITIONS FOR HEARING
The Commissioner may conduct a public hearing if the Commissioner determines that the public interest will best be served thereby or shall hold a hearing upon receipt of a petition signed by at least twenty-five persons. Petitions for a hearing shall be submitted within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this public notice, should include the application number noted above, and also identify a contact person to receive notifications. Petitions may also identify a person who is authorized to engage in discussions regarding the application and, if resolution is reached, withdraw the petition.
The Office of Adjudications will accept electronically-filed petitions for hearing in addition to those submitted by mail or hand-delivered. Petitions with required signatures may be sent to deep.adjudications@ct.gov; those mailed or delivered should go to the DEEP Office of Adjudications, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. If the signed original petition is only in an electronic format, the petition must be submitted with a statement signed by the petitioner that the petition exists only in that form. Original petitions that were filed electronically must also be mailed or delivered to the Office of Adjudications within 10 days of electronic submittal.
All petitions must be received within the comment period noted above. If a hearing is held, timely notice of such hearing will be published in a newspaper of general circulation and posted on the DEEP website at https://www.ct.gov/deep.
/s/ Nisha Patel
Nisha Patel, P.E., Director
Water Planning and Management Division
Published in The Advocate on February 23, 2024
ADA PUBLICATION STATEMENT
DEEP is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact DEEP by phone 860-418-5910 or email deep.accommodations@ct.gov if you have a disability and need a communication aid or service; have limited proficiency in English and may need information in another language; or if you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint.