Marilyn Moore

Moore Welcomes $5.14 Million in State Funds to Repair Ox Brook Dam

Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) today welcomed $5.14 million in state funds to rehabilitate an abandoned dam in Elton Rogers Park in Bridgeport’s North End. For years, the safety and welfare of the city’s residents has been jeopardized by the chronic flooding along the Ox Brook tributary.

The State Bond Commission Friday approved $5.14 million in funding to address the flooding issues by rebuilding an eroded earthen dam, originally built almost one hundred years ago, to protect the surrounding lands from flooding.

“Residents near Elton Rogers Park have been eagerly waiting for these upgrades that will alleviate their neighborhood’s flooding issues,” said Sen. Moore. “I am glad I was able to work with my fellow Bridgeport legislators to secure state funds to rebuild the eroded dam so it can once again protect the surrounding homes from water overflow.”

“The Bridgeport legislative delegation has worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition. Together, we have worked to protect our citizens and the homes they have established in Bridgeport’s North End,” State Representative Jack Hennessy (D-Bridgeport) said. “I especially want to thank State Senator Marilyn Moore for her constant support to safeguard Bridgeport homeowners.”

This flood control project is the first significant step toward ending flooding in the North End. Through this project, several thousand feet of piping and channel will be constructed to dramatically reduce the volume of flooding in and along Ox Brook in Bridgeport.

This flood control project stands to benefit more than 500 properties—both homeowners and local business owners—that are affected by the downstream flooding of the Ox Brook tributary.

Beginning in Elton Rogers Park, the brook runs across Main Street from the Brookside Shopping Center, and flows southwesterly toward the Rooster River.

During a 100-year flood, an event that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, approximately 225 houses, associated garages and two commercial buildings would be flooded along the two miles of brook. Residents have seen flood levels reach heights of 36 inches in their front yards. Others have had their land eroded by flooding waters, depleting their property values.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is actively working with the city to facilitate this project. In June 2012, $260,000 was bonded to finance design services to construct a dam for flood control purposes. With the design phase completed, the project, which is estimated to create 40 temporary jobs, now moves to the construction stage. Legislators are hoping to break ground next spring.