A large red-tailed hawk enjoyed the peace and quiet on the Sharon Green on Sunday, Aug. 8.
Photo by Cynthia Hochswender
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Anglers will remember the summer of 2024 as a time of unusually low flows on the West Branch of the Farmington River.
The West Branch, which rises in Becket, Massachusetts, is impounded at two reservoirs before the famous trout fishing water starts below the Goodwin Dam in Hartland.
The water releases from Goodwin are consistently cold, which provides excellent habitat for trout, especially brown trout.
But an unusually dry period of 45-50 days hit the Northeast in general and the Northwest Corner in particular at the start of August 2024.
Because there was very little natural flow entering the Farmington system, fishing, tubing and other recreational uses suffered from a lack of water.
Erratic flows were not a new problem in last August. Earlier in 2024, the General Assembly, in response to complaints from various interested parties, passed Public Act 24-13, which addressed the regulatory aspects of the water. Gov. Ned Lamont signed the legislation in May 2024.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Mike Beauchene of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection led an online information session on how DEEP is going to proceed with implementing PA 24-13. (The draft plan is on the CT DEEP website.)
Beauchene explained the complicated regulatory situation, with the Metropolitan District Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers being the main players.
The bottom line is this: the commission has relinquished its historical claims to some of the water held in Coldbrook River lake and the Goodwin Reservoir.
DEEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will coordinate and manage releases with these elements in mind: Fish and Wildlife, Recreation and Tourism, Flood Risk Reduction, Hydropower, Safety, Stakeholder Engagement, and Challenges — such as drought or excessive rain.
Beauchene said the three “rules of the river” are:
The Metropolitan District Commission will release a minimum of 50 cubic feet per second from the Goodwin Dam at all times, the commission will pass all “natural inflow” — i.e. rain runoff — up to 150 cubic feet per second from the Goodwin Dam, and the commission will pass through Goodwin Dam all releases from the Otis Reservoir in Massachusetts.
Asked how DEEP will decide what amount of water to request from the Corps of Engineers at any given time, Beauchene said the requests will be determined by actual people, not an algorithm.
“There is nothing automated.”
Typically the agency will ask federal engineers to adjust the flow once a week, on a Friday.
Beauchene said the new regimen will help maintain trout habitat, especially for brown trout. Asked if it will result in more and larger brook trout, Beauchene said probably not.
While the plan aims for a more streamlined and transparent flow regimen, Beauchene warned that there is only so much any agency can do in the event of drought or flood.
Right now, he said, “We need a lot of snow or rain. And we need it fast.”
portal.ct.gov/deep/fishing/farmington-river-flow-plan
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NORTH CANAAN — Following the lead of a number of other Connecticut towns, North Canaan’s Board of Selectmen raised the prospect of changing the town treasurer from an elected position to an appointed one.
The matter was mentioned during a meeting of the Board Feb. 3 in preparation for the potential mid-term departure of current treasurer Emily Minacci.
“She hasn’t given us a date, but she is open to the idea of having the treasurer position be appointed,” said First Selectman Brian Ohler.
The Board tentatively scheduled a special meeting for Feb. 18 to discuss the topic. Minacci and town attorney Randy DiBella will be invited.
“Randy can go over the pros and cons. We’ll have some data of other towns,” said Ohler.
An ordinance change would require a public hearing. Ultimately, the decision would fall to voters by way of a town meeting.
Resident Trooper
Trooper Spencer Bronson, who recently returned to the position of resident trooper in North Canaan, announced an “open door policy” for his office at Town Hall.
“If my vehicle’s out there, I am here,” said Bronson. “Any complaints, feel free to come in.”
A direct email address to contact the resident trooper was made: TK
Bronson said he looks forward to becoming a part of the community once more and he intends to have a presence at North Canaan Elementary School.
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Cornwall Town Hall may be getting high speed internet later this year through the CEN Connect program.
Riley Klein
CORNWALL — Town employees and volunteers could see a boost in connection speeds later this year.
The Board of Selectmen discussed the plan and motioned to move forward with Connecticut Education Network internet Feb. 4.
CEN Connect is a state program that provides broadband infrastructure to municipal buildings and institutions. Grant funding is available to cover the cost of installation.
Through CEN Connect, Cornwall hopes to run fiber optic cable to Town Hall, both fire departments, the Transfer Station and the library.
Selectman Rocco Botto spoke with representatives of Litchfield and Goshen, which have already joined the Network and reportedly “love it.” It was described as fast, reliable and secure.
“It would be $135 a month and that covers all our municipal buildings,” said Botto. “Our only other obligation per site would be that $35 a month fiber maintenance fee.”
Each eligible site will be submitted to the Network for review and approval.
The internet comes from a main provider substation in Hartford. It was estimated that the rollout to Cornwall’s town buildings could be completed in about nine months.
The motion to move forward passed unanimously.
Committee Appointment
On Feb. 4, the Board of Selectmen appointed Richard Bramley to the Wastewater Management Project in West Cornwall Village Construction Committee.
Bramley is the town treasurer and has attended most of the Committee’s meetings since its inception.
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River Woods subdivision passes
Feb 12, 2025
NORTH CANAAN — More than a year of deliberation on the proposed subdivision at Honey Hill Road has come to a productive conclusion.
North Canaan Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the 20-lot subdivision known as the River Woods subdivision at its regular meeting Monday, Feb. 10.
In accordance with the intervenor — Housatonic Valley Association — four conditions of approval were implemented. Acting chairman Dalton Jacquier read the conditions into the record, which include a deed of conservation protecting a 300-foot buffer extending inland from the edge of the Housatonic River, a revegetation and erosion control plan covering the 20-foot riparian zone along the river’s edge, an endangered plant species survey and an archaeological survey.
George Johannesen of Allied Engineering, representing the applicant and landowner Bruce McEver, thanked the public and the commission for its input throughout the application process.
Johannesen said the conditions of approval will be met before preparing a timeline for construction of the cul-de-sac road.
Former P&Z chairman and current conservation director at HVA Tim Abbott represented the intervenor and remarked on the lengthy process that produced “the best conservation outcome given a 20 unit subdivision.”
“It is important that projects of this scale and scope get all the time they need,” said Abbott. “Ultimately you can have confidence that you made the best choice you could.”
First Selectman Brian Ohler noted the significance of a large development in town.
“This is going to be a fast shot in the arm in a good way economically,” said Ohler, adding that it was the largest project he could think of in town “probably in the last 30 or 40 years.”
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