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WPCA approves $16.73 million appropriation for perimeter flood protection at WPCF
Summary
Following a presentation by consultant GZA, the WPCA approved a resolution appropriating $16,730,000 for a perimeter flood wall and dike project at the Water Pollution Control Facility; DEEP Dam Safety permitting and a bid phase are expected in early 2025 with construction starting in May 2025 and closeout targeted for September 2027.
The Stratford Water Pollution Control Authority voted Nov. 25 to approve a resolution appropriating $16,730,000 for a perimeter flood protection project around the town’s Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF). The action followed a technical presentation by Dave Barstow of GZA GeoEnvironmental, who described the design approach and timeline.
Barstow said the design follows Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Dam Safety guidance to design for the 500-year flood plus two feet of freeboard (one foot for wind/wave action and one foot for resiliency/sea-level rise). A site-specific wind-and-wave study was completed because FEMA mapping addresses only the 100-year flood. Based on geotechnical testing, the design calls for a combination of pile-supported reinforced-concrete flood walls where compressible organic soils exist, and earthen dikes where soils are competent. Barstow said the project includes about 3,100 linear feet of dikes and walls, exposed wall heights of roughly 4–6 feet, and three deployable floodgates at plant entrances.
Barstow told the WPCA permits had been submitted to Connecticut DEEP Dam Safety with an anticipated approval timeframe around March; the consultant described an expected bid phase from March–May 2025, construction starting in May 2025, and project closeout in September 2027. He said the project design seeks to avoid wetland impacts by using a gabion retaining wall in one wetland-adjacent location and to reuse existing armor stone and riprap where feasible.
Town Engineer Mister Casey confirmed the town has an expected federal grant (FEMA/congressional funding) of $2.7 million toward the project and described the total project estimate at about $16.37 million; the resolution approved by the WPCA appropriates $16,730,000 for the work and recommends issuance of bonds and temporary borrowings. The resolution was moved by Mister Gladden and seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.
Next steps: staff will pursue DEEP Dam Safety review and complete permitting, finalize bid documents for the March–May 2025 bid period, and return to the WPCA as procurement and financing details are finalized.
