History of Lower Collinsville Dam discussed in mitigation meeting

Historian Bruce Harvey talks about the history of the Lower Collinsville dam at the Avon Free Public Library.

AVON, July 2, 2024 – The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is moving toward likely removal of a dam on the Farmington River on the Avon and Burlington border.

The dam is the second of two dams built by the Collins Company in the 20th century to provide electric power. The dam is about a mile downstream from Collinsville and is best known as the dam with the powerhouse that has been frequently painted by artists throughout the years.

In July, a meeting was held at the Avon Free Public Library on the subject of potential mitigation measures. DEEP officials and consultants explained the mitigation process and sought ideas from the general public.

Mitigation is part of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which instructs the federal government to take into account the effect of their undertaking. Mitigation could be the display of components of the dam and hydro facility, pamphlets in print and/or digital form.

A comprehensive documentation process of the existing dam and buildings of the dam, known as the Lower Collinsville dam would be overseen by the National Parks Service and submitted into the Library of Congress.

Historic consultant Bruce Harvey of Harvey Research and Consulting explained the documentation process and provided a history of the Lower Collinsville dam and hydro power with the Collins Company.

The current 300-foot long dam near the Collins Company complex was built in 1867. The idea for the Lower Collinsville dam and facility came around 1907, Harvey said. Construction began in 1912 and was complete by 1914.

Several feasibility studies in the 1990s and early 2000s explored the restoration of generating electricity at the Lower Collinsville dam but the idea wasn’t economically feasible, especially considering the deteriorating condition of the buildings.

DEEP officials held a meeting in September 2023 on the reasons to take down the Lower Collinsville dam.

At the July meeting, DEEP officials offered no estimates on the cost of the dam removal or a timeline on when it might occur. The meeting was also live streamed by Nutmeg Television.