Old Lyme - The town is planning to replace a dock in the Lieutenant River that serves as one of the main access points for firefighters to draw water to extinguish fires in the town's village center.

The proposal calls for rebuilding the town-owned dock so it can safely bear the weight of firetrucks that need to access it, according to a project summary on file with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said the fire dock - built in the 1930s at the end of Academy Lane - is very old. Over time, the movement of water has eroded the existing wooden structure filled with stone and gravel.

The plans are to rebuild the wharf with concrete blocks, capped with concrete, on a foundation of crushed stone, according to the town's application to DEEP. The 18-foot-wide structure with guard rails would stand above the high tide line and be, on average, about 3 feet taller than the existing structure.

DEEP tentatively approved the town's permit application last month and is seeking comments on the application until Jan. 15.

Reemsnyder said the town will follow additional approval steps and hopes to start construction as soon as possible. Docko Inc. of Mystic is overseeing the project.

DEEP tentatively approved the application for a permit needed to "conduct work waterward of the coastal jurisdiction line in tidal, coastal or navigable waters of the state and in tidal wetlands."

"We feel they have met their burden and justified the need for it, and all environmental impacts have been minimized," said Susan Bailey of the DEEP Office of Long Island Sound Programs. She said the proposed structure is within the footprint of the existing dock, but built to hold the weight of a firetruck.

Meanwhile, the town has a "long-running property and riparian rights dispute" with the owners of a property next to the dock - with the owners maintaining that they own a portion of the dock, according to a letter sent to DEEP last spring from an attorney representing the town and included in the town's application to DEEP. The lawyer argued in the letter that the town is allowed to rebuild the structure, since there is no known objection from the owners at the time of the dock's original construction.

DEEP said that the issue is beyond the agency's jurisdiction and would need to be resolved in another venue.

Written comments regarding the application can be sent to Susan Bailey, DEEP Office of Long Island Sound Programs, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 or emailed to sue.bailey@ct.gov by Jan. 15. The application is available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at DEEP's Elm Street office in Hartford, or residents can email Bailey for a copy.

A public hearing on the application would be scheduled if the applicant requests it or if the DEEP commissioner decides it is in the public's interest.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich