Governor Rell: $4 Million in Stimulus Grants

to Help Build Fish Passage, Preserve Coastal Habitat

Tingue Dam Project in Seymour Gets $2.5 Million

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that a number of environmental projects in Connecticut have been approved to receive $4 million in federal stimulus funds. The funds will be used to enhance and preserve ecosystems along the Naugatuck River and the shoreline.

The Governor said a $2.5 million grant from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be used to build a fish bypass around the Tingue Dam on the Naugatuck River in Seymour. NOAA also has awarded $1.5 million to help restore 108 acres of tidal marsh and open habitat at Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme and the West River River in New Haven.

“Restoring and preserving these fragile ecosystems are a sound investment for our environment and the surrounding communities. Our rivers and coastline are irreplaceable natural resources,” Governor Rell said. “The projects will generate jobs quickly in construction and strengthen local economies.”

A passageway around the Tingue Dam would remove an in-stream barrier to diadromodous fish – fish that move between salt and freshwater. The project will help restore access to 29 miles of essential habitat for American shad, alewife, blueback herring and American eel. The state Department of Environmental Protection said construction is expected to start within 90 days of the award will be completed within 18 months.

The DEP is also working in partnership with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment on a culvert replacement project at Rocky Neck State Park. The improvements will make it easier for herring to swim upstream to spawn. In a separate project, three tidal gates will be replaced on the West River in New Haven.

For more information on stimulus projects in Connecticut visit www.ct.gov and click the CT Recovery link.