2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 22a - Environmental Protection
Chapter 446j - Dams and Reservoirs
Section 22a-402 - (Formerly Sec. 25-111). Inspection of dams and other structures. Repair or removal. Notification to owner. Inspection by municipal chief elected official. Inspection of hydroelectric power generating facility owned by a water company. Water company notification. Inspection reports. Exemption for dams licensed by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall investigate and inspect or cause to be investigated and inspected all dams or other structures which, in his or her judgment, would, by breaking away, cause loss of life or property damage. Said commissioner may require any person owning or having the care and control of any such structure to furnish him or her with such surveys, plans, descriptions, drawings and other data relating thereto and in such form and to such reasonable extent as he or she directs. Any person in possession of such pertinent information shall afford the owner and the commissioner access thereto. The commissioner shall make or cause to be made such periodic inspections of all such structures as may be necessary to reasonably insure that they are maintained in a safe condition. If, after any inspection described herein, the commissioner finds any such structure to be in an unsafe condition, he or she shall order the person owning or having control thereof to place it in a safe condition or to remove it and shall fix the time within which such order shall be carried out. The respondent to such an order shall not be required to obtain a permit under this chapter or chapter 440 or section 22a-342 or 22a-368 for any action necessary to comply with such order. If such order is not carried out within the time specified, the commissioner may carry out the actions required by the order provided the commissioner has determined that an emergency exists which presents a clear and present danger to the public safety and said commissioner shall assess the costs of such action against the person owning or having care and control of the structure. When the commissioner in his or her investigation finds that a dam or other structure should be inspected periodically in order to reduce a potential hazard to life and property, the owner of such structure shall cause such inspection to be made by a registered engineer at such intervals as are deemed necessary by the commissioner and shall submit a copy of the engineer’s finding and report to the commissioner for his or her action. If the commissioner determines as a result of an inspection that maintenance or repairs to a dam are needed to maintain the dam in a safe condition, the commissioner shall notify the owner, in writing, of such maintenance or repairs as are necessary and request the owner to undertake such repairs within the time period specified in the notice. If the owner does not undertake the necessary maintenance or repairs within the time period indicated in the notice, the commissioner may proceed to order the owner to undertake the necessary maintenance or repairs. As used in this chapter, “person” shall have the same meaning as defined in subsection (b) of section 22a-2 and “water company” shall have the same meaning as defined in section 25-32a. The commissioner shall cause a certified copy of a final order issued under this section to be recorded on the land records in the town or towns wherein the dam or such structure is located.

(b) The chief executive official of a municipality or such official’s designee may inspect a dam that is: (1) Under the jurisdiction of the commissioner, and (2) located within the boundaries of such municipality when such official or designee reasonably believes that a public safety concern exists. Inspection of any such dam owned or operated by a water company or of a dam that is a hydroelectric generating facility shall be controlled by the provisions of subsection (c) of this section. Such official or designee shall have the right to enter private property, within constitutional limits, to undertake such inspection provided such official or designee shall: (A) Notify the commissioner prior to conducting such inspection, (B) make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner of the dam prior to such inspection, and (C) file a report with the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of this section.

(c) When the chief executive official of a municipality or such official’s designee reasonably believes that a public safety concern exists with a dam that is a hydroelectric power generating facility or is owned or controlled by a water company, such official shall immediately notify the commissioner and shall notify the water company in accordance with subsection (e) of this section. Such official shall not inspect a dam that is a hydroelectric power generating facility or is owned or operated by a water company unless: (1) (A) Such official has reason to believe there is public safety concerning such a dam, (B) such official has notified the commissioner and has reasonably attempted to notify the water company or the owner of the hydroelectric power generating facility pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, and (C) a representative of the water company is not available; (2) a water company official or representative of the hydroelectric power generating facility accompanies such chief executive official or such official’s designee; or (3) the water company has granted permission to such official. A report of the inspection shall be filed with the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of this section.

(d) No provision of subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall restrict the right of a chief elected official or such official’s designee to enter upon or inspect water company dams, appurtenances or land under the control or ownership of such municipality.

(e) When notifying a water company or owner of a hydroelectric power generating facility pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the chief executive official of a municipality or such official’s designee shall call the contact number that such water company or facility identifies in any emergency operation plan for such dam on file with the municipality. In the event a water company or hydroelectric power generating facility has not prepared an emergency operation plan for a dam under the ownership or control of such water company or facility, such water company or facility may file an emergency notification contact form with such municipality. Not later than October 1, 2008, the commissioner shall develop such an emergency notification contact form. When such form is filed with the municipality such municipal official shall use the information provided in the form to contact the water company or hydroelectric power generating facility pursuant to this section.

(f) A report of any inspection performed pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall be filed with the commissioner within seven days of such inspection, except when an immediate threat to public safety is discovered in which case such report shall be filed with the commissioner immediately.

(g) The provisions of subsections (b) to (f), inclusive, of this section shall not apply to a dam licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(1949 Rev., S. 4730; 1957, P.A. 364, S. 18; 1963, P.A. 271; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 131; P.A. 78-234, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-162, S. 11, 25; P.A. 96-145, S. 5; 96-180, S. 80, 166; P.A. 98-209, S. 11; P.A. 07-61, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: 1963 act required that owner bear responsibility for having dams, etc. which require periodic inspection, in commission’s opinion, inspected by a registered engineer; 1971 act replaced references to water resources commission with references to environmental protection commissioner; P.A. 78-234 authorized commissioner to take action if owner has failed to carry out actions ordered where there is danger to public safety and specified that municipalities are to be considered as corporations for purposes of the section; Sec. 25-111 transferred to Sec. 22a-402 in 1983; P.A. 92-162 provided that respondents to certain orders under this section are exempt from permits required under chapter 440 for actions necessary to comply with such orders; P.A. 96-145 provided for a definition of “person” and deleted redundant references to entities subsumed within the definition, deleted obsolete provisions re structures constructed prior to July 1, 1918, and deleted a provision re requests for inspection of dams and an associated fee; P.A. 96-180 changed “Said commissioner” to “The Commissioner of Environmental Protection”, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 98-209 provided that respondents to orders under this section shall not be required to obtain certain permits in order to carry out such orders, provided for recordation of final orders and made a technical change; P.A. 07-61 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to make technical changes, add provisions re notification and orders by commissioner to owners re unsafe dams and define “water company”, and added Subsecs. (b) to (g) re chief executive municipal official inspections of dams and of hydroelectric power generating facilities owned or controlled by water companies and notification procedures to water companies, filing of inspection reports and exemption for dams licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011.

Cited. 183 C. 481.

Annotation to present section:

Cited. 197 C. 134. Inspections required to ensure safety and integrity of dams; responsible corporate officer doctrine may be used to hold corporate officers liable under section. 282 C. 645.