Flooding on March 2, 2007
March 15, 2007
- Did you experience flooding or unexpected water on Friday, March 2?
- Have you wondered why no emergency services were in place?
- Has the Town of Darien been unresponsive to your queries?
- Surprised that the Town and the State have made no commitment to maintain Darien’s waterways?
Don’t get mad… LET’S GROUP TOGETHER!
Add your story in the comments on this weblog.
We would like to know your story and if there is significant interest in working together to find a solution. Is there anyone interested in meeting together as neighbors to get answers?
March 21, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Flooding has been an issue in Norwalk as well. I’d be happy to post about Darien issues on our site, http://www.yourCT.com. Feel free to contact me.
March 27, 2007 at 10:08 pm
We have been living at 133 west ave. with stony brook adjacent to our property for 32 years. Up until last spring, i would say we had furnished room lower level water problems on no more than 4 occasions. Once, 6-8 inches of ground table water seeping thru the concrete floor, the other times ground table water seeping thru the concrete with just wetting of our area rug. Since last spring, water seepage once, and 6-12 inches of water(March 2nd) on two more occasions.Generally the circumstances are concentrated rains on frozen ground with snow accumulation. March 2nd was the most extensive flooding of our property to date with the brook gushing over the rock sidewalls with unusual force. It was terribly discouraging and the lower part of our property still looks like a wetlands area.
April 2, 2007 at 12:15 pm
We live at the culvert location that passes under West Ave. The flooding this time around was the worst since we moved here in 1978. I appreciate that you are taking the time to pull all concerned neighbors together to try and understand what is causing the problem and hopefully offer solutions to the town for fixing this. Will see you at the meeting on Tuesday night.
April 4, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Uh..hum (pardon me while I clear my throat)
My name is Chris Noe and I would like to personally thank those who provided the soap box I’m standing upon.
I have owned the last house located directly on Stony Brook for 20 years. You might know the house adorned with motorcycle at Christmas time…. my rememory ain’t so good… some kind of protest..
With reguard to Stony Brook and it’s flooding I have noticed an increase of volume and velocity of the water after heavy rain. The brook acting much like the drain pipe on your house with it returning to a sleepy brook shortly thereafter. What has been achieved is critical efficiency. The designed runoff from roof tops, driveways, roadways, I-95, parking lots, perfectly pitched lawns all contibute to the flash flood on Stony Brook.
What can be done? Very simply address all the contributing factors listed in the paragraph above. Roof drains piped to water barrels as a useable resource. Drains also connected to drywells to charge the soil with needed moisture. Drainage ditches designed to hold water with a smaller outlet pipe to allow the brook time to respond and promote ground percolation. Lawns with areas away from the house where water can collect and be absorbed into the ground.
I am very concerned with the brain dead mentality of widening the brook. This merely contiblutes to the problem. The brook becoming a drainage ditch and mostly a delivery system to my property. If this is the path chosen the bridge under Old Kings Highway South is too small and will need to be widened and must be done first. Personally I like the bridge the way it is especially the wood railings.
We need to create areas of overbank storage. These areas designed to flood and then return back to normal. This can be done on a micro level starting in New Canaan on down. Lastly the pond dredged and widened at town hall. For example: The stream in front of Goodwives river widened so water can collect there during a storm. These types of areas can be identified all over town and managed on a micro level have the most effect.
Sincerly,
Chris Noe
242 Old Kings Highway South
Darien, CT 06820
April 4, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Thank you for establishing this forum and for arranging the meeting on THURSDAY night. Though many of us were affected by the flooding of March 2, 2007 – as well as floods during prior years – you are to be commended for setting aside your own personal loss and taking the initiative to address the larger community concern. THANK YOU!
Flooding is an issue in many parts of Darien. Many areas in town are historically well known flood points – Stony Brook, Noroton Heights, stretches of the Post Road, etc. There are also lesser known (perhaps, even “unknown”) areas which are also adversely affected by flooding. I submit to the agenda for Thursday’s meeting one such flood point – Wakemore Street. I like, many of my neighbors, suffered serious damage and loss due to flooding – and March 2 was NOT a first time.
In the post above, Chris Noe points out many of the well known issues/causes of increased flooding due to development (large(r) homes/yards/paved areas etc.) In this regard, Wakemore Street – which already has substantial historical flooding that has largely been ignored by the town – faces a significant challenge, one which is perhaps unique to the town of Darien: the proposed development of 64 large housing units adjacent to Wakemore Street.
This undeveloped parcel of land already has considerable run-off issues (from other areas previously developed), has existing drainage issues, and has well documented wetlands. Surely, this proposed development will adversely impact the residents of Wakemore Street with specific regard to flooding. As this development is currently going through the application process, something MUST be done to mitigate the already existing issue of flooding (despite the town’s ‘blind eye’), BEFORE any consideration should be given to any future large-scale development on this parcel, and the adverse affect on flooding that it will have on this area.
Thank you for your consideration. I realize many families and businesses will want their voices heard on the issue of flooding in their respective neighborhoods of Darien, and I support them in their efforts, just as I hope they will support the Wakemore Street neighborhood in our efforts to have the flooding issue not only recognized, but resolved – through whatever means necessary – better planning, better drainage, improved enforcement of zoning and wetlands regulations, etc. Let’s work together, have our voices heard and act as one to improve our community.