Kent hosts dam maintenance webinar

KENT — Civil engineers from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection joined the Kent Conservation Commission’s Zoom room on Feb. 6 with a key message for those with dams on their property: dam maintenance — and failure — is the owner’s responsibility.

DEEP engineer Lariab Afzaal, who gave a presentation on the organization’s process of dam risk assessment and monitoring, said “it is the dam owner’s responsibility to maintain their dams in a safe condition to prevent the loss of life or damage to property.” She added that dam owners are “financially responsible for damages caused by their dam failing.”

Conservation Commission member Wendy Murphy introduced the evening’s speakers with a call to increase the town’s vigilance on its waterway infrastructure as extreme precipitation events become more frequent with climate change.

“Between the increasing effects of climate change and alterations in land use patterns, we think it may be time to re-evaluate how we live in harmony with streams, ponds and dams,” Murphy said.

Over the course of the presentation, Afzaal outlined DEEP’s schema for classifying dams based on their downstream risk level, and what each classification entails for maintenance. She reported that Kent’s dams fall into either the “AA” (negligible hazard) or “BB” (moderate hazard) groups.

AA level dams are not regulated, but are still required to be registered with DEEP. BB level dams hold the potential for “moderate economic loss” downstream, including damage to roadways and unoccupied structures. BB level dams must be inspected every seven years.

When a dam is due for inspection, DEEP sends a notice to the owner, who is then responsible for hiring a professional engineer to conduct the inspection and make repairs. DEEP does not provide funding for the maintenance or removal of dams, Afzaal said, but the Dam Safety Regulatory Program can help guide owners toward several grant opportunities which may apply to their dam.

Following the presentation, Murphy expressed concern that many dam owners aren’t aware of their responsibility for dams on their property, or even if they own one at all.

Anna Laskin, another civil engineer with DEEP’s dam safety program, replied that “Property Disclosure Reports,” which acknowledge dam ownership, are required to be included in every real estate transaction even if realtors may not be aware of them.

Commission member Jean Speck asked if there are many dam owners who remain unaware of their presence, to which Laskin said it’s “very unlikely” due to DEEP’s outreach efforts.

At the Feb. 12 regular meeting of the Conservation Commission, members still disagreed as to Kent’s dam safety awareness. “I think a lot of [residents] just don’t know that they are responsible for keeping [their] dam in good shape,” said Commission advisor Jos Spelbos.

Commission member Connie Manes contended that stating that the dam maintenance and ownership process was either faulty or fully operational was just conjecture without evidence. Regardless of the effectiveness of the process, she said that she agreed with other commissioners that dam safety outreach and education for realtors and residents alike should be a priority.