Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2021 – 2026 Municipal Annex for WATERBURY, CT 235 Grand Street Waterbury, CT 06702 MMI #3211-29 Prepared for: Prepared by: NAUGATUCK VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS SLR CONSULTING 47 Leavenworth Street, 3rd Floor 99 Realty Drive Waterbury, CT 06702 Cheshire, Connecticut 06410 (203) 489-0362 (203) 271-1773 www.nvcogct.org www.slrconsulting.com Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 PURPOSE OF ANNEX .................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 PLANNING PROCESS .................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 PHYSICAL SETTING ...................................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.4 LAND COVER ............................................................................................................................................. 1-2 1.5 GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................. 1-2 1.6 DRAINAGE BASINS AND HYDROLOGY ............................................................................................................... 1-3 1.7 CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE .................................................................................................................... 1-6 1.8 DEVELOPMENT TRENDS ................................................................................................................................ 1-7 1.9 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................................................. 1-9 1.10 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX ........................................................................................................................ 1-9 2.0 MUNICIPAL CAPABILITIES ........................................................................................................................ 2-11 2.1 GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE AND CAPABILITIES............................................................................................... 2-11 2.2 INFRASTRUCTURE ...................................................................................................................................... 2-11 2.3 CRITICAL FACILITIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE.............................................................................................. 2-14 3.0 FLOODING ............................................................................................................................................... 3-18 3.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 3-18 3.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 3-22 4.0 HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS .................................................................................................... 4-30 4.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 4-30 4.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 4-31 5.0 SUMMER STORMS AND TORNADOES ..................................................................................................... 5-33 5.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 5-33 5.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 5-34 6.0 WINTER STORMS ..................................................................................................................................... 6-35 6.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 6-35 6.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 6-35 7.0 GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS ........................................................................................................................... 7-38 7.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 7-38 7.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 7-38 8.0 DAM FAILURE .......................................................................................................................................... 8-43 8.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 8-43 8.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 8-44 9.0 WILDFIRES ............................................................................................................................................... 9-49 9.1 EXISTING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 9-49 9.2 VULNERABILITIES AND RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 9-50 10.0 MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS ............................................................................................... 10-52 10.1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................... 10-52 10.2 STATUS OF MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS FROM PREVIOUS HMP .......................................................... 10-52 10.3 PRIORITIZATION OF STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS ............................................................................................... 10-56 10.4 MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS IMPLEMENTATION TABLE ...................................................................... 10-56 Municipal Annexes: Waterbury 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of Annex This Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) annex provides a community-specific hazard risk assessment, capability analysis, and evaluation and prioritization of hazard mitigation measures and projects. Background information and the regional effects of pertinent natural hazards are discussed in the main body of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This annex is designed to supplement the information presented in the Multi-Jurisdictional HMP with more specific local detail, and is not to be considered a standalone document. The primary goal of this HMP, including this Municipal Annex, is to identify natural hazard risks and mitigation opportunities in order to reduce the loss of or damage to life, property, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and economic resources. This includes the reduction of public and private damage costs. Limiting losses of and damage to life and property will also reduce the social, emotional, and economic disruption associated with a natural disaster. 1.2 Planning Process A meeting was held with Waterbury representatives on October 23, 2020 for the purposes of initial data collection and review of necessary updates for this document. The meeting was convened by the HMP local coordinator, David Simpson. Additional input was provided at the two regional municipal staff workshops, held on November 18, 2020, and February 3, 2021. Public input collected at public workshops and through an online survey have also informed development of this HMP update. 1.3 Physical Setting The City of Waterbury is located in New Haven County. It is bordered by the towns of Watertown and Middlebury to the west, Thomaston and Plymouth to the north, Wolcott and Cheshire to the east, and Naugatuck and Prospect to the south. Waterbury is located on the I-84 corridor roughly midway between Hartford and Danbury, and is a major center of banking (including the Webster Bank Corporate Headquarters), as well as home to the Federal, State, and County courthouses. The City is the most developed community in the Naugatuck Valley Region. As the location of numerous current and former industrial facilities, as well as three local colleges (University of Connecticut – Waterbury, Naugatuck Valley Community College, and Post University), two major hospitals (St. Mary's Hospital and The Waterbury Hospital) and many state and federal buildings, utility organizations, and major financial institutions, the City of Waterbury is vulnerable to a loss of life and property due to an array of hazards. NVCOG Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 1-1 August 2021 Municipal Annexes: Waterbury 1.4 Land Cover Waterbury encompasses 28.6 square miles. The City is characterized by a compact Central Business District (CBD) surrounded by an industrial district and medium