Add your voice to demand restoration of fish passage at Kinneytown Dam.

Years ago, the Naugatuck River gained infamy for catching fire. Generations of pollution and industry had rendered it inhospitable, its migratory fish barely hanging on—a far cry from colonial times when a fish house at the river mouth salted bushel after bushel of fresh-caught shad. Since that time, millions in taxpayer investment has slashed sewage pollution, removed dams, and installed a state-of-the-art fish pass at Tingue Dam. Today, the river is rebounding. 

But a big barrier remains. Kinneytown Dam, the first barrier on the Naugatuck River, lacks a functioning fish ladder. That means migratory fish like river herring, American eel, and shad can't reach the 32 miles of free-flowing river upstream of the dam which have been restored by those taxpayer-funded projects. Despite direction from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, based on input from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to remedy the situation, Hydroland Corp. - the owner of the dam - has made no effort to remedy the situation. Practically zero fish made it up the fishway in 2021, and thousands die at the base of the dam every year.

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, Save the Sound, and the Naugatuck River Revival Group recently took legal action to hold Hydroland accountable to their obligation to fix this situation so migratory fish runs can recover. Since that time, both the USFWS and CT DEEP have joined us in calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to take immediate action. Join us in calling on FERC to A) declare the Kinneytown fish passage operations out of compliance with its exemption and B) order Hydroland to complete upgrades and investments to the facility to restore fish passage according to the schedule proposed by USFWS and to the most recent science and fish passage standards. CT DEEP and the USFWS must keep the pressure up on FERC to take strong action now to remedy a problem known for decades.

By signing this petition, you're adding your name to the Naugatuck Valley residents, environmental organizations, local leaders, and fish experts calling on FERC, the environmental agencies, and Hydroland, to take action now to stop the wanton waste of fish at Kinneytown Dam.