Stratford council unanimously approves $16.73 million WPCF perimeter floodwall after extended debate

The Stratford Town Council on Dec. (date not specified) approved a $16.73 million appropriation and a companion bond authorization to build a perimeter floodwall around the town's Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), voting unanimously on roll call.

Council members debated the timing and scope of the project before the vote. CAO Timniak said council approval now would position the town to capture newly released Clean Water Fund dollars and avoid borrowing at higher rates later. "We saw that the state of Connecticut opened up $20,000,000 of clean water fund, and that was on a first come, first served basis," Timniak said, urging swift action to be "first to strike."

Mister Casey, who outlined the engineering plan, described the work as a combination of raised earthen berms and, where needed, concrete flood wall sections "about 4 to 6 feet tall" to surround the treatment plant near Beacon Point Road and Birds Eye Street. "This facility will completely surround the treatment plant... It's designed to DEP standards, which is 2 feet above the 500-year flood elevation for coastal storms," Casey said, adding that the town has a $2.7 million grant to offset costs.

Why it matters: Council members said the treatment plant is critical infrastructure vulnerable to coastal storms; in 2013, officials said the plant came within about a foot of inundation during significant storms. Supporters argued the cost of pre-emptive protection is lower than the potential environmental cleanup and public-health consequences of a plant failure.

Concerns and response: Several council members, including Miss Gibson, pressed staff on whether the wall could redirect floodwaters into neighboring neighborhoods or natural ponds. "Where is it gonna go? Does it overflow in a fresh pond?" Gibson asked, requesting to see modeling and reports. Casey and other town staff said engineers modeled the area and concluded the project protects the plant without increasing flood risk to the broader sound, and he directed council members to the modeling to be discussed at a future meeting.

Financing and timing: Town staff said the project had been in planning for years but was being advanced now because of available state-level clean-water funding and the need to lock in low, fixed rates. Staff told the council that if the Clean Water Fund award is secured the town could realize a roughly 2% rate on the portion tied to that funding; other borrowing would carry prevailing municipal rates.

Vote and next steps: The appropriation and bond authorization passed on unanimous roll call (10-0). Town staff said permits and final design must be completed before bidding; if the state grant is obtained, that money would reduce the town's borrowing requirement. The council then moved forward on related WPCF stormwater items and other infrastructure bonding on the same agenda.

The council scheduled follow-up briefings and indicated engineering reports and permit updates would be shared with the body before the project advances to final design and bid.