Submitted by Peter Quigely, third in a series
• Is Greenwich at a tipping and turning point where a MORATORIUM might be required until flood, drainage, and commingling conditions are addressed – does the town have drainage capacity for both public and commercial buildout?
The Brothers Brook Watershed (both East & West – including Greenwich Creek on east) appears to be the second largest watershed in Greenwich. The North Street ‘bridge’ project is located on North Street where Brothers Brook West runs under, meets up with Brother Brooks East (including Greenwich Creek) at confluence of high school playing fields where toxic soil remediation has been conducted 15 years.
West Brothers Brook flows north to south turns under the North Street bridge to high school playing fields to The Sound through many neighborhoods, 360 degrees, that experience rain flood conditions.
Should this historic stone & asphalt bridge on North Street just be reinforced, renovated-in-place where maybe tonnage weight limits might be imposed, now, first? This is so as not to disturb the current footprint, the congested traffic flow but, as importantly, the direction of river flow, and the backing up or the pushing down ‘of the puddle’, its volume of water downstream, that might add to further flooding, drainage, and commingling mix problems to both upland and downriver neighborhoods and in to high school playing fields that are still being remediated in identifiable FEMA flood areas?
Should this project have a better plan and funding for neighborhoods, for traffic flow, for flood control, environmental and drainage management? – with minimal disturbance, not new construction, but better management of impacted areas, river volume, directional flow, environmental hazards, including testing of town’s sewerage capacity for commingling?
Should it have better funding tied into long term bonds to, first, fix town’s storm water drainage infrastructure, starting at Grass Island, its pumping stations, following engineering studies done.
Should town have an overall Watershed Management Plan with a Management Council to oversee and inspect a 5-15-30 year plan reporting directly to the entire Board of Selectpersons since it is a town wide, multi neighborhood problem?
These town projects look to be band aids led by what’s available in state or federal grants, for appearance, not really addressing an overall Watershed Plan to fix. Should these projects await appropriate town funds to fix Grass Island sewer facility ($100 million), its pumping stations and storm-water infrastructure repairs before moving forward?
Finally, will these projects exacerbate flooding, drainage capacity and commingling mix of a 150-year old town storm water drainage/watershed management infrastructure problem?
Submitted, Sept 16, 2024 by Peter Quigley,
5-term RTM member 2008-2013
First Harbor Commission– 2013-2016
See also:
Quigley: Flooding Concerns in Greenwich – Is it time for a review to prevent ‘Black Swan’ events?
QUIGLEY: Has Greenwich reached a Tipping Point?