Hartford City Hall (Courtesy Photo / Grondemar / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Rodent-related calls logged with the city of Hartford’s 311 information system increased in 2018 to 144, up from 126 a year prior. But more calls and emails have poured into Hartford’s health department, which responds to the complaints but doesn’t keep a running tally.

The rat problem reached the city council last week, when concerns were raised about an outbreak in the Blue Hills neighborhood. Talk of rodents has also intensified at community meetings, with residents grumbling about mice infestations and rats frolicking in backyards. Data collected by the city show that Hartford’s Frog Hollow, Asylum Hill and Behind the Rocks areas have registered the largest number of rat complaints.

The city sent a health department employee to attend a three-day “rodent academy” workshop in New York City in May. Department leaders are using strategies gleaned from the training – such as leaving dry ice in rat holes to suffocate the critters – to develop a plan for combating the apparent increase.

Mayor Luke Bronin said he plans to add another rodent inspector or two.

“You’re seeing this problem explode in city after city,” he said. “As you have winters with less extended periods of cold, you’re having more rodents survive and that leads to the rapid growth in population.”

In Hartford, officials are planning to launch an education campaign to remind residents how to properly dispose of trash, how to prevent rodents from entering the home, the importance of managing vegetation and how to use the city’s 311 phone system and mobile application, which help workers track trends and direct resources. Bronin said he may tap kids from his youth service corps program to knock on doors in March or April and talk to residents about rodent issues. Block by block surveys may be done to get a better handle on the issue.

Areas where development is underway, including Blue Hills and pockets of Hartford’s South End, have seen an influx of rodents because the creatures’ habitats are being disturbed, the mayor said. The Metropolitan District has dug into sewer lines, another common home for rats.

And dumpsters have become an issue.

“Particularly at multifamily homes, there are a lot of places that use dumpsters that are not adequately sized,” Bronin said. “So we’re going to be taking a look at whether we should amend an ordinance to require larger sizes of dumpsters.”