During warmer months, the area is popular for walkers, fishing and boating enthusiasts, making use of the lengthy dock. During winter, when a layer of ice covers the calm water, devotees can be found standing on the surface of the water, fishing through holes in the fractal structure.<\/p>\n
Although tests show swimming is sometimes safe in Wethersfield Cove, a sign warns about it in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n
An abundance of fish, birds and plant life contribute to the vibrant ecosystem of the cove. A walk along the sandy shore or by Folly Brook<\/a>, the canal that connects the cove to the Connecticut River, reveals great blue herons searching for a meal.<\/p>\n But \u201cNo Swimming\u201d signs near the parking lot and occasional shutdowns of the cove after heavy rainfall tell a different story that has plagued the area for many years.<\/p>\n According to the consent order agreement between the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection<\/a>, or DEEP, and the Metropolitan District Commission, or MDC, combined sewer systems in southern Hartford overflow into Wethersfield Cove. As of 2020, there are 7 overflow sites at the cove. The sewage can dissipate through the cove or enter the Connecticut River through Folly Brook.<\/p>\n The structure of Wethersfield Cove amplified the problems of waste entering it, said Michael Dietz, the director of the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources<\/a> at the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n The cove is fed by Folly Brook and the current moves through the wide part of the cove toward a narrow inlet that runs underneath I\u201191, entering the main stem of the Connecticut River by a narrow inlet.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s very little flushing that takes place because of that narrow entrance,\u201d Dietz said.<\/p>\n When sewage overflows into the cove, it can take time for it to leave. Not only does it pollute Wethersfield Cove, but the eventual flushing can make the area of the Connecticut River that connects to Folly Brook a risk to swim in.<\/p>\n Dietz pointed out that residents near Wethersfield Cove have had to face sewage backflowing into their homes, flooding basements.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring CSO events, even with small amounts of rain, like half an inch of rain, people\u2019s basements were backing up with sewage,\u201d Dietz said.<\/p>\n The MDC has a plan to stop the flooding into the cove and of the houses near the cove: the South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel, now planned to operate by the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n Upon completion, the four-mile- long tunnel will hold back excess stormwater and wastewater in southern Hartford that would have overflowed into Folly Brook and Wethersfield Cove. By the terms of a consent order between the MDC and the state of Connecticut, the tunnel aims to eliminate all remaining CSOs towards Wethersfield Cove and Folly Brook.<\/p>\n CSOs are not the only pollution threat to the cove\u2019s health. Pollutants that run over roads, including garbage and fertilizers, can also enter the water. Additionally, a 2011\u00a0study\u00a0by Johann Varekamp of Wesleyan University documented large amounts of mercury in the water from hundreds of years of industrial discharges.<\/p>\n Mike Ozmian, a Newington resident and a harbor master for Wethersfield, said that when the cove level rises during heavy storms, boaters are at risk. The water can also flood the parking lot, damaging parked vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cFlooding and the breeze, when the water gets high, collects trees off the shore and breaks it down into the channel and into the river,\u201d Ozmian said.<\/p>\n But he said he has some reservations about the water quality. \u201cI would not swim in the cove [or Connecticut River] until Glastonbury, which is not far from the cove,\u201d Ozmian said. Glastonbury is less than two miles south of Wethersfield Cove.<\/p>\n![\"Volunteers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ZZFCPRASMRGNBNHOYT2YOQHCJ4.jpg\")
Volunteers take part in the annual Source to Sea cleanup at Wethersfield Cove.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/THC-L-MDC-Tunnel_12.jpg\")
A look into the pump station shaft at The Metropolitan District Hartford Water Pollution Control Plant on Brainard Rd on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. The pump station will move water from the storage tunnel to the plant. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n