Waterbury, CT – The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) invites residents to participate in a series of public meetings on September 9, 10, and 11 to review designs for nine culvert and drainage projects across the region. NVCOG has been working with local governments in Ansonia, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Thomaston, Waterbury, and Wolcott to design upgrades for failing culverts & drainage systems that cause flooding. These hybrid meetings will offer participation options for community members to attend in-person or virtually on Zoom. NVCOG will share the preliminary designs that have been developed based on site visits, hydrologic studies, and public input from meetings in December 2024.
These projects are part of the NVCOG’s efforts under the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Climate Resilience Fund, which seeks to create a pipeline of shovel-ready projects eligible for federal implementation grants. Working with member municipalities, the NVCOG prioritized sites at risk of flooding as identified in the Multijurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The nine project sites include culverts and drainage areas across the region. NVCOG has worked with Luchs, a local engineering firm, to study these areas, design preliminary solutions, and identify federal funding sources for implementation. Additionally, NVCOG partnered with the environmental nonprofit Save the Sound to conduct aquatic organism passage assessments, ensuring that the improved road-stream crossings work for wildlife as well as people.
