This 2023 image from Google Maps shows Route 34 in Monroe heading over the Stevenson Dam into Oxford. A boat barrier can be seen in Lake Zoar.
OXFORD-SEYMOUR – Federal officials are looking into complaints about how debris from the Aug. 18 rainstorm was cleared from Lake Zoar at the Stevenson Dam.
Members of the Lake Housatonic Authority previously complained about FirstLight’s plan to clear the debris field in a Valley Indy story published Aug. 22. The authority alleged FirstLight, the dam’s owner, violated its “debris management plan” on file with federal regulators.
The authority alleged that too much debris was allowed to flow over the Stevenson Dam and into the Housatonic River communities under the dam.
The photo above is from 2023. The video below is from DroningAroundCT’s Facebook page and shows Lake Zoar at the boat barrier on Aug. 19.
After the initial Valley Indy story was published, Jim Olson, an Oxford resident and a member of the authority, and Jerry Sudimick, a Seymour resident who lives on the shores of the Housatonic River, emailed their concerns to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
On Friday, (Sept. 6) FERC released a 5‑page letter to The Valley Indy addressed to FirstLight notifying the company of the allegations.
The letter asks the company for data regarding how much storm debris was sent over the Stevenson Dam, and specifically why some debris appeared to be pushed under a barrier so that it could go over the dam.
FERC requested the details be sent by Sept. 17, 2024.
FirstLight officials told The Valley Indy in August that the plan to clear debris adhered to regulations and that FERC was aware of what was happening.
Background
Lake Zoar is the body of water formed by the Stevenson Dam in the Housatonic River.
The Housatonic River continues below the dam and into Lake Housatonic, the section of the river between the Stevenson Dam and the Derby Dam.
The river passes by parts of Oxford, Seymour, Shelton and Derby, essentially following the path of Roosevelt Drive locally, before making its way into the Long Island Sound.
The historic Aug. 18 flooding dumped a massive amount of trees, mud, boats, propane tanks, jet skis, docks, asphalt, wood, cans, and bottles into Lake Zoar just before the Stevenson Dam.
The Stevenson Dam, which connects Oxford to Monroe, is a hydroelectric dam, which puts it under FERC’s jurisdiction.
FirstLight is the private company that owns the dam.
The Lake Housatonic Authority is a group that watches over Lake Housatonic, from marine patrols to weed management to water quality. Its members are appointed by local governments in Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton.
Olson and Sudimick sent their allegations to FERC independently of each other and the Lake Housatonic Authority.
The Conflict
The Lake Housatonic Authority alleged that FirstLight’s plan to clear the debris was flawed because it allowed too much junk to flow over the Stevenson Dam and into the river communities below.
“While FirstLight pulled out bigger items, like boats and 40 to 50 foot trees, the stuff they are pushing over the dam (the woody debris) is bad for boaters, animal habitats, marinas and businesses on the river,” Sudimick told The Valley Indy.
Olson and Sudimick said FirstLight should have taken more time and spent more money to carefully clear the debris field.
They said on Aug. 22 they watched two small boats with four people remove some larger debris from the river. But they also allege the people on the boat were “pushing debris under the boat barrier” and over the dam.
The boat barrier is the section where the debris piled up. Anything in front of the barrier can’t be cleared by hand because it’s too dangerous, FirstLight officials previously said.
“I watched them taking the boat hooks and taking out the medium stuff, pushing it past the boat barrier where they could no longer get to it because it’s unsafe,” Sudimick said.
Sudimick shot and posted a video to YouTube and sent it to FirstLight and FERC.
FirstLight officials told Sudimick the contractors were not intentionally pushing anything under the barrier, saying they were using a cable with buoys, and small debris naturally passes under the cable spans.
Olson and Sudimick said FirstLight should have been more careful.
“Outside active flood events, it is irresponsible and reckless to push debris over the Stevenson Dam,” Sudimick said. “FirstLight will only do what FERC requires of them. They are not acting as stewards of the environment or in a neighborly, ethical manner.”
FirstLight’s Response
Claire Belanger, FirstLight’s communications manager, told The Valley Indy via an email that FirstLight is aware of the concerns raised, and will be working with FERC.
“We take great pride in our role as stewards of these water bodies and recognize that this historic storm has had significant impacts on the public that lives and recreates along the river,” Belanger said. “We are in contact with and will fully cooperate with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to answer any questions that arise from the complaint.”
Belanger said the clean-up efforts at the Stevenson Dam are proper and justified.
“As long-time operators of the Stevenson Dam, we are confident that our approach to debris management following this 1000-year storm was correct and aligned with our FERC license requirements and the debris management plan in that license,” Belanger said.
Belanger said FirstLight’s clean-up efforts are not causing the hazards that Olson and Sudimick allege. Large debris was removed by hand.
“We do not believe that the passing of small woody debris downstream and the removal of large docks, water vessels, propane tanks and over one hundred large trees from the river system is causing a hazardous situation in the river,” she said. “We’d suggest that our effort is remedying a hazardous situation in the river.”
She also said the clean-up efforts that started on Aug. 22, where FirstLight released small woody debris through the dam’s sluice gate, and contractors worked to remove larger man made debris like docks and water vessels and stockpiled them at nearby Monroe Town Beach, have largely been completed.
“Once the large man made debris was removed from behind the boat barrier, FirstLight contractors began addressing the large woody debris, including what the team estimates are over 100 large trees – approximately ten times the amount of large woody debris we typically remove from Lake Zoar in a year. This effort is ongoing today and will continue in the coming weeks.”
