The Hartford flood risk management systems are located along the right bank (west bank) of the Connecticut River in Hartford and along the city's Park River. They provide flood risk management to approximately 3,000 acres of highly developed public, commercial, residential, and industrial land in the city.

Initially constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1938 and 1944. Additional construction took place at various times between 1956 and 1981. The city of Hartford now owns, operates, and maintains the flood risk management projects along the Connecticut River and the Park River in Hartford.

The Connecticut River flood risk management systems include about 6 miles (34,000 feet) of earthen dikes (levees), about 0.8 miles (4,400) feet of concrete floodwalls, five closure structures, three pumping stations, one pressure conduit, and appurtenant drainage facilities. The Park River flood risk management system includes three pumping stations; a series of conduits that collect flows from the North Branch Park River, South Branch Park River, and Gully Brook and discharge the combined flows to the Connecticut River through two large conduits, and 660 feet of floodwall along the North Branch Park River immediately upstream from the conduit system entrance.

The main Park River Conduit and the Park River Auxiliary Conduit that carry the Park River flows into the Connecticut river pass beneath the earthen embankment for the Connecticut River flood risk management system.  

During the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer 2013 inspection of the Connecticut River flood risk management system, deficiencies were identified that were determined to require immediate attention and failure to address those deficiencies could prevent the system from performing as intended during a significant flood event. Since 2015, the city of Hartford has been working cooperatively to provide temporary mitigation measures and permanently address the identified deficiencies through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer System-wide Improvement Framework (SWIF) program.  

Over 20% of Hartford’s land area could be flooded during a major flood event if the Connecticut River flood risk management system failed to perform as intended. The properties in the area that could be flooded include important commercial, institutional, and residential properties.

Major public infrastructure is also at risk of flooding if the Connecticut River flood risk management system failed to perform, the most vulnerable of which is the Hartford Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) regional sewage treatment system which is currently undergoing a $3 Billion upgrade mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.  The Interstate 84/91 highway interchange, a regional airport, the MDC water distribution system, a military jet fuel supply pipeline, and numerous major employers are also at risk of being flooded.

Information about the Hartford projects can be found in the National Levee Database (NLD - https://levees.sec.usace.army.mil/#/).  The project along the Connecticut River is identified in the NLD as the CT Riv RB - Hartford, CT system and the project along the Park River is identified in the NLD as the N&S Br Park Riv, Park Riv Conduit Sys-Hartford, CT system.