Create a new email and copy the following four email addresses into the too: field.
Then copy and paste the subject: Letter of Concern - West Branch Farmington River Water Flows into the subject field.
Next copy and paste the following into the body of the email, make sure to type your name and state at the end of it.
Representative Joseph Gresko, Chairperson
Senator Rick Lopes, Chairperson
Senator Stephen Harding, Ranking Member
Representative Patrick Callahan, Ranking Member
Environment Committee
Room 3200
Legislative Office Building
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Please raise for a public hearing two bills that have been proposed to the Environment Committee to address erratic flows in the Upper Farmington River. This nationally renowned and federally-designated Wild and Scenic River begins below the MDC’s Goodwin Dam in Hartland and flows for 15 miles through Barkhamsted, New Hartford, and Collinsville (Canton). Less than two miles upriver of this dam is the Colebrook River Dam which is a flood control dam owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Currently, the USACE will only release (or hold back releases) when requested to do so by the MDC.
The first bill requires the MDC to make requests for releases from the Colebrook River Dam, as necessary, to maintain the flow of water in the West Branch of the Farmington River at or above a rate determined to be a sufficient minimum flow rate by DEEP.
The second bill directs DEEP to oversee an update to the Farmington River Instream Flow Study last completed in 1992, which is linked here:
Updating this study will provide information to determine the best flow regime for the Upper Farmington River to support its ecological health and recreational flows in light of changes in climate, as well as recent changes to state and pending changes to federal regulations governing the water in Colebrook River Reservoir.
Thank you for considering these two bills.
Sincerely,
Name:
Town: