Flat River Reservoir Dam to be Repaired

The Flat River Reservoir will be lowered 12 feet below normal elevation to make way for repairs to a Coventry dam classified as a high hazard dam by the state Department of Environmental Management.

The DEM announced Tuesday that it has approved a plan by Quidnick Reservoir Company, owner of the dam, to make repairs to the dam’s three low-level outlets.

To complete the repairs, the pond needs to be lowered by Oct. 31.

According to the plan, Quidnick Reservoir Company will start lowering the pond on or around Sept. 8 and will lower the water up to three vertical inches per day until the 12-foot below normal elevation is reached.

The pond will remain lowered until the repairs are complete, which is expected by January.

The repairs will be made at the gate house, which is located on the dam on private property off Flat River Road. The dam owner is proactively making the repairs, the DEM said, and the owner is not required to make them.

DEM’s Dam Safety and Freshwater Wetlands programs reviewed and approved the proposed repair application that was submitted by the dam owner in February.

“The Flat River Reservoir Dam is classified by DEM as a high hazard dam, which means that failure or misoperation will result in a probable loss of human life,” the DEM said in a news release. “The hazard classification has no relationship to the current condition of the dam, which is considered to be in overall fair condition.”