DEEP Removes Swimming, Eating Restrictions At Enfield State Park

ENFIELD, CT — Just days after the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) posted signs prohibiting picnicking and swimming at the Scantic River State Park in Enfield, those signs were taken down at the start of the Independence Day holiday weekend by state officials.

Enfield police Capt. Jeff Golden confirmed the DEEP removed the signs, which had warned violators would be subject to a fine of $75 per person. A message to DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes from Patch had not yet been returned by publication time.

Hundreds of revelers flocked to the park Saturday and Sunday, mainly from Massachusetts. Patch visited the park on a steamy Saturday afternoon and was informed by Enfield police that an estimated 300 people were at the site, ranging from the access point behind the Powder Hollow Brewery to just west of the South Maple Street bridge.

A visual inspection of the area showed the parking lot at the baseball fields in Powder Hollow Park was completely jammed with vehicles, with all but eight bearing Massachusetts plates. However, no vehicles were observed in violation of parking regulations along Dusthouse and Powder Hill roads or at nearby businesses.

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