Federal Emergency Declared In New London County After Dam Breach

NEW LONDON COUNTY, CT — President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration to allow federal assistance for New London County following a severe storm last week that led to the breach of the Fitchville Pond Dam in Bozrah.

The emergency declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist state and local emergency response teams. The declaration "means that federal personnel and equipment can quickly mobilize and assist in actions that will protect lives and property and lessen the threat of a catastrophe should it be determined that such immediate action is needed."

The declaration applies to all of New London County, including the Mohegan Tribal Nation and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

State and local teams have been monitoring the dam since the leak was discovered following the storm Jan. 10. Several contractors were brough in to prevent the situation from worsening, taking actions such as building a cofferdam that serves as a backup and is intended to prevent further damage.

Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement: “We’ve had state and local emergency response teams monitoring this privately owned dam around the clock to ensure that the situation does not worsen, and this presidential declaration gives us an added layer of assistance from our federal partners to immediately protect the region and the people who live in the area should it be needed."

Water levels on the Yantic River have significantly decreased in recent days. However, another winter storm is forecast for Tuesday, anticipated to result in snow and ice accumulations across the region.

See related: CT Weather: Here's How Much More Snow, Ice Will Accumulate Tuesday

Partial Dam Break In New London County Leads To Wider Concerns