Article reprinted with permission from
The Ridgefield Press, Sept. 4, 1997, p.1A

It may not take 100 years to have a 100-year flood, and that's why the Board of Selectmen are reviewing a flood-warning system.

The town will consider pitching in $11,500 toward a four-town flood-warning system that would cost $139,190. Two-thirds of the project would be paid by the state.

The Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a six-month study of the Norwalk River watershed in conjunction with the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service.

After the study is completed, the agency will report back to the town with recommendations on the warning system.

At that point, "They'll have to say if they're in or out," said Thomas Morrissey, senior environmental analyst with the Department of Environmental Protection Flood Management.

Appearing to support the program, First Selectman Sue Manning said, "It's really not that expensive for what it brings in." "Great benefit for the property owners," she added.

Mr. Morrissey urged the town to follow through. "We need the flood warning system to get people out of harm's way," he said.


The Plan

The plan includes mounting gauges to measure rain water and river levels in four towns - Ridgefield, Redding, Norwalk and Wilton.

If all goes according to plan, the four towns' firehouses would have computers reading the gauges. If the gauges detect an unusually quick accumulation of water, alarms on the computers would be set off in the fire stations.

If the water accumulation exceeds three inches in 12 hours, some flooding will take place, said Mr. Morrissey.

To prepare for the moment when the alarm sounds, the plan includes emergency lists so owners of businesses and homes could be alerted to prepare for a flood. People could be informed, often two to three hours before serious flooding occurs, said Mr. Morrissey.

The residents and business owners would be advised of exactly what measures to take. Should they evacuate? Or is it time to move things off the basement floor?

The Department of Environmental Protection will survey the homes and businesses in the affected area - the homes on Route 7 near the Norwalk River. The department will survey an area of 600 or more acres around the Route 102 and Route 7 intersection, he said.

Mr. Morrissey expects to be able to "monitor the entire river basin."

The system will take one year to design, develop and install, once approved.


Route 7 Impact

A flood prevention plan - a five-dam and reservoir project to address Norwalk River flooding that was designed in the 1960's - has been abandoned. The dams and reservoirs can not be built since the Super 7 highway plans have been scratched. The planned reservoirs would interfere with Route 7 if the location of the road is not changed.

If a flood like the one in 1955 were to hit, "it would cause tremendous property damage in those areas that are currently unprotected," said Mr. Morrissey.

The two completed dams include the Great Swamp in Ridgefield, the headwater of the Norwalk River, and on Spectacle Brook in Wilton, a tributary. The other dams planned included one on Comstock Brook in Wilton; one on Candee's Pond on Cooper's Pond Brook off Route 102, and at Miller's Pond near the intersection of the existing Route 7 and Florida Hill Road.

It's not all or nothing. Not all four towns have to sign up for the program. If only two out of the four towns decide to install the flood-warning system, it will be put in, said Mr. Morrissey.

If a town doesn't elect to have the system installed upfront, assuming two other towns proceeded with the system, it may be installed later.

Powerful River

The Norwalk River flows directly into Long Island Sound at Norwalk Harbor. The Norwalk River flows for 20 miles, and discharges into a major oyster-producing area.

The watershed comprises approximately 40,000 acres and includes six municipalities in Connecticut and one in New York. The river has three main sections - the main stem, the Comstock and the Silvermine. Along the banks of the river lie industry, homes and some pockets of agriculture.

The Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Agency both back the flood-warning plan and hope eventually the four-town organization will encourage more interaction among the towns to help the river. Mr. Morrissey hopes to "develop a framework for multi-town cooperation for improvement and maintenance" of the river, he said.

1955 Flood

In 1955, two floods hit Connecticut - one in August and one in October. The second flood brought havoc to Ridgefield when 13.88 inches of rain fell in four days. All of Ridgefield was hit, but Branchville was hit worse, because of the Norwalk River.

The Press reported on Oct. 20, 1955: 90% of roads were "washed out to some degree"; the then new Veterans Park School was closed while workers swept mud out of the hallways; 500 households had flooded cellars and a few bridges were washed out.

Water from the Norwalk River flooded the Branchville area including the Branchville train station; a bridge near Branchville cemetary is no longer there; and homes in the area were inundated.

The Press reported the Peatt family on Mamanasco Lake brought boats and "went to Branchville to rescue some people whose houses were surrounded by still rising waters of the Norwalk River."

Selectman Abraham Morelli remembers the flood. "It was classified as a 100-year flood - I don't know what we'd do when we have the 500-year flood," he said. "The Norwalk River was out of control."

Nazzareno Ancona remembers seeing a gas station on Route 7 flooded with water half-way up the garage door, water coming in the back door and coming out the front door "bringing everything with it," he said.