Residents of the Old Killingly Pond community in northeastern Connecticut have welcomed a decisive step from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). On Tuesday the agency mailed a draft consent order to Wright Investors’ Service Holdings (WISH), the New York‑based holding company that owns the dam, ordering the company to repair the structure and restore the pond to its pre‑drawdown condition.
Why the pond was drained
In October of last year, state officials authorized an emergency drawdown of Old Killingly Pond after an inspection revealed a leak in the stone dam that had held the water for more than a century. The drawdown was intended to reduce pressure on the dam and prevent a catastrophic failure that could have endangered lives, property, and the surrounding environment.
While the emergency action averted an immediate crisis, the pond shrank to roughly 25 % of its former 138‑acre size. Docks were left hanging over dry ground, wells for seasonal cottages ran dry, and sediment washed downstream, threatening other reservoirs. Fire crews in East Killingly also lost a reliable water source for tanker trucks.
DEEP’s enforcement step
Graham Stevens, head of DEEP’s Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, explained that the draft consent order invites WISH to negotiate a repair plan. If the company refuses, the agency has additional enforcement tools at its disposal. Stevens warned that even if an agreement is reached, the repair process could take several years and cost “multiple millions of dollars.”
“Regardless of the negotiation outcome, this will be a long process, and this is just the first step,” Stevens said.
Local reaction
Long‑time pond resident Susan Rosenstone Larrow, who spent four decades painting the lake’s scenery, expressed cautious optimism. “Now we have to hope WISH agrees to fix the dam,” she said, adding she remains skeptical about the company’s willingness to act.
Justen Fisher, who lives on the pond with his wife and two daughters, praised DEEP’s responsiveness. “To feel the support and actually to feel being heard… it’s super relieving,” he said. “Now we’ve got the state on our side, let’s take it to the finish line.”
State officials weigh a takeover
State Senator Mae Flexer (D‑Windham) welcomed the agency’s move, calling it “the beginning of the process” toward holding the dam owners accountable. She noted that a state takeover of the dam remains months away, but the current action shows DEEP is methodically seeking a solution.
WISH’s acting chief financial officer, Harold Kahn, replied to an email that the company has no business operations or revenue and declined further comment on the dam issue.
Broader implications
The Old Killingly Pond dam is part of a series of 19th‑century reservoirs originally built to power local mills. As those mills vanished, ownership of the dams passed through multiple hands, eventually landing with WISH. The pond’s drawdown has also exposed a suspected Native American burial ground that was flooded when the dam was constructed.
DEEP’s action underscores the agency’s commitment to protecting both public safety and the environmental resources that many Connecticut families rely on for recreation, drinking water, and livelihood.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
