Nearly a dozen Connecticut towns are notifying state environmental officials that they may need to dump tons of snow into nearby rivers and lakes.
That’s following an emergency order from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) that gave cities a rare green light to dump excess snow into nearby waterways.
Dumping snow into waterways is usually prohibited. Salt, sand and other debris in snow can have a negative impact on water quality, blocking drains, increasing the risk of localized flooding and harming fish and other aquatic wildlife.
But DEEP lifted the rule on Feb. 23, allowing it as a method of last resort, after a blizzard dumped between 10 to 30 inches of snow across the state, adding to the mounds of snow still piled up from January’s snowstorm.
The agency issued guidelines for towns to follow, including not dumping snow in freshwater or tidal wetlands or within 100 feet of public and private wells used for drinking water.
Where to put 1,000 tons of snow?
Ryan Welch, director of public works for Essex, said the town got approximately 24 inches of snow and was beginning to run out of room to store it.
“It’s concerning public safety-wise with this amount of snow – the intersections, the roads that get narrow, the site distances get limited and obstructed,” he said.
Essex notified DEEP about dumping snow in the Connecticut River, but Welch said Friday he is hoping they can avoid it. Right now, the town is storing its snow - over 1,000 tons of it - in a gravel parking lot near a small boat launch.
“We’re really trying to prevent what we can from entering the river. The Connecticut River is very resilient, but we’re trying to be as conscious as we can about keeping contaminants and materials out of the river,” Welch said, noting that snow acts as a natural sponge, absorbing contaminants nearby.
“It’s soaking up contaminants as soon as it hits the ground from exhaust, oil, sand, salt, debris. You really don't want that in the river,” he said.
Essex currently has three trucks hauling snow to the parking lot with a back-up parking lot near the town’s firehouse as a second option.
“I would use that to its maximum extent before we put any snow in the river,” Welch said.
Welch estimated it will take until April for snow in the parking lot to melt.
Other towns submit notice to DEEP
The following towns and entities notified state officials about possibly dumping snow in Connecticut waterways, according to a DEEP spokesperson:
- Essex
- Groton
- Milford
- New London
- Norwich
- Old Saybrook
- Seymour
- Shelton
- United States Coast Guard Academy
- Wallingford
- West Haven
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
