Arthur Selkowitz and Milton Puryear with a rendering of the planned park for the Mill River.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

The Mill River has been restored.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Celebrating completion of a Cinderella-like about-face, city leaders and residents gathered in Mill River Park Wednesday afternoon to take in a magical transformation. Only it wasn't a fairy godmother's wand that created the change. This brand new water-focused ecology was the result of work by the Army Corps of Engineers.

"We're delighted to have accomplished the restoration of the river," said Milton Puryear, executive director of the Mill River Collaborative, about the park's restored river and pond. Wednesday's ceremony marked the Corps' official return of the previously clogged waters back to the city of Stamford.

"The river is flowing freely again," said Arthur Selkowitz, MRC chairman. The public/private collaborative is under contract with the city to manage and develop the area.

In 2000, the city requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study the river and pond. A detailed 2004 report delineates problems that included storm sewage draining directly into Mill River, a large amount of sediment, intrusive aquatic plant growth and a deteriorated Main Street dam that impeded habitat passage.

The Mill River & Mill Pond Restoration Project falls under Water Resources Development Act initiatives. The act authorizes the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop and execute projects that restore the aquatic ecosystem if they meet certain criteria. Those criteria include environmental-quality improvement, cost effectiveness and a public-interest advantage.

The Mill River project was "pretty straightforward," said Col. Philip Feir of the Corps, New England District. "The only thing that was difficult was designing the water intake for storm waters," he said, adding that too much flowing water would ruin channels.

The project's completion makes way for a planned new park, said Puryear. "We couldn't build a park without dealing with the river," he said. The Mill River Cooperative hopes to break ground in the spring.