The long-troubled Kinneytown Dam on the Naugatuck River is finally on track for removal. This marks a turning point for river restoration, fish passage, and flood safety in the Naugatuck Valley and beyond.
After decades of failed fixes and environmental damage, the crumbling 19th‑century structure has changed hands for just $1. That opens the door to a $60 million plan that could reconnect miles of habitat, reduce flood risk, and transform a once-industrial waterway into a cleaner, healthier river corridor for communities across Connecticut.
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The Kinneytown Dam: A 19th-Century Barrier in a 21st-Century River
Built in the 1840s, the Kinneytown Dam sits on the Naugatuck River between towns like Seymour and Ansonia. It’s a relic of Connecticut’s early industrial era.
For more than a century, this low-head dam has blocked migratory fish traveling from Long Island Sound upstream through the Naugatuck Valley. Species that once moved freely through what’s now a corridor of communities—like Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Thomaston—have been blocked or severely limited.
That disruption has rippled through the river ecosystem and even into Long Island Sound’s larger food web. The loss isn’t just ecological; it’s cultural and economic too.
Fish Passage Failure and Collapsed Hydropower
In the 1990s, someone installed a fish ladder at Kinneytown to help migratory species. On paper, it seemed like a modern solution, but in reality, it never worked as intended.
Poor design, chronic maintenance issues, and storm damage made the ladder mostly useless. Fish counts stayed dismal.
Shad, river herring, sea lampreys, American eels, and even Atlantic salmon couldn’t get through. This blocked years of restoration work elsewhere on the Naugatuck and in the wider watershed, including cities like New Haven and Bridgeport, both closely tied to coastal fisheries and water quality in Long Island Sound.
Hydroelectric operations at the site ended in 2020. Now, the dam’s just a deteriorating and mostly obsolete obstruction, no longer a productive energy resource.
A $1 Ownership Transfer Unlocks a $60 Million Project
Recently, the dam’s ownership quietly shifted to the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank for just $1. That symbolic sale is actually a big pivot, turning the site from private energy infrastructure into a public-interest restoration project.
This change lets state, federal, and nonprofit partners start pulling together a complex financing package and begin detailed engineering and environmental planning. It’s a rare chance to finally get things moving.
How the Dam Removal Will Be Funded
The anticipated $60 million removal and restoration price tag reflects both the dam’s size and the legacy of industrial activity along the Naugatuck. It’s not cheap, but the scale’s hard to ignore.
Key funding sources include:
- $15 million from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant aimed at restoring fish passage and coastal resilience.
- $4 million from the federal Clean Water Act, supporting water quality and habitat improvements.
- $1.6 million from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to advance planning and early-phase work.
Additional state and federal dollars are expected. For riverfront communities from Derby and Shelton up through the valley, outside assistance like this doesn’t come around often.
Flood Risks, Crumbling Infrastructure, and Contaminated Sediments
The case for removal isn’t just about ecology; it’s also about public safety. The dam’s condition keeps getting worse, and recent storms have made that clear.
In 2023, floodwaters overtopped parts of the structure and damaged nearby infrastructure. That event raised alarms about what might happen in a bigger flood, especially with legacy industrial contamination in sediments trapped behind the dam.
Managing Sewer Lines and Old Pollution
The removal plan involves some tricky infrastructure work. Sewer lines crossing the river near the dam will need to be relocated or protected to keep service reliable for neighboring communities.
Engineers and environmental specialists also have to deal with contaminated sediments—material dumped during decades when rivers in cities like Torrington and Meriden were basically open sewers for factories. Those legacy pollutants must be managed carefully so they don’t get flushed downstream in a sudden, uncontrolled rush during demolition.
Restoring a Free-Flowing Naugatuck River
Once it’s gone, Kinneytown Dam will join a growing list of obsolete barriers removed from Connecticut rivers. The state’s already seen real success on other waterways, and the Naugatuck could become a showcase for large-scale restoration in a heavily developed watershed.
DEEP and other advocates highlight several benefits:
- Reconnect fish habitat for shad, lampreys, eels, and salmon, opening miles of upstream spawning and rearing grounds.
- Improve water quality by restoring natural sediment transport and reducing stagnant impoundment conditions.
- Enhance recreation for paddlers, anglers, and walkers along existing and planned riverfront greenways.
- Boost resilience to climate-driven storms by allowing the river to carry flood flows more naturally, reducing pressure on aging infrastructure.
Environmental Justice and Community Benefits
State officials keep pointing out that many neighborhoods along the Naugatuck are environmental justice communities. These are places that have long shouldered the burden of industrial pollution, flood risk, and a lack of open space.
Dam removal, along with riverfront trails, access points, and habitat restoration, offers a real quality-of-life improvement for residents living closest to the river—from old mill districts to newer housing developments.
What Happens Next: Timeline to 2028
Before any concrete gets broken, the project needs key regulatory approvals, including action by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). That process governs the retirement of old hydropower sites and makes sure environmental and safety standards are met.
If everything moves on schedule, major removal work should begin in 2026 or 2027. Engineers will probably phase the demolition, gradually lowering water levels while managing sediment and protecting downstream communities.
A River Reborn by the End of the Decade
Final restoration is projected for around 2028. That means a fully free-flowing river, reconnected habitat, stabilized banks, and completed infrastructure relocations—pretty wild how fast that is in river years.
For folks in the Naugatuck Valley and the coastal cities that rely on a healthy Long Island Sound, removing Kinneytown Dam means more than just another construction project. Honestly, it feels like a long-overdue course correction—transforming a relic of 19th‑century industry into something that actually fits our 21st‑century hopes for ecological recovery, climate resilience, and real community revitalization in Connecticut.
Here is the source article for this story: CT dam that blocked fish runs for 100+ years could soon be removed. ‘Can’t put a price tag on’ it
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