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On Monday, July 20, Glastonbury Police said Cotton Hollow has seen a “significant increase” in use recently and emergency personnel has been called to the area to save cliff jumpers, police said.
Police were also critical of the extra trash thrown around the natural spot.
“Of particular concern is broken glass along the trails and possibly in the water,” said Police Chief Marshall S. Porter in a statement.
Porter said that before reopening Cotton Hollow, the town should investigate whether swimming and cliff jumping is safe there as well as the level of risk people are taking to go down a trail with steep drop-offs that may have been made worse by the increase in traffic.
Once these issues are addressed, Porter said he would like to see Cotton Hollow open again. The area will be monitored for compliance with the ban, he said.
Photos of Cotton Hollow posted to local Facebook pages noted the parking lot has been full lately. This kicked off a debate over whether residents should be able to access Cotton Hollow before out-of-towners. According to the Glastonbury town website, Cotton Hollow is for residents only. The only exception to this is that people can fish there between the third Saturday of April and June 15.
The Cotton Hollow Preserve, 493 Hopewell Road, consists of 80 acres and features Roaring Brook.
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