Our 24th Presentation to City Elected and Appointed Officials Over the Past Year: 9-25-24. Documentation for our file.

To: City Council Members, City Elected and Appointed Officials, and Flooding Victims Living in the Allen St. Basin and the Hampton-Eton Sub-Basin:

Director Moriarty reported 9-23-24, he will be hosting a Public Information Meeting in late October or early November to go through the various aspects of the Project. He is hoping to get a date established this week.

The compromised, outdated and undersized storm-sewer systems in the Allen St. Basin and in the Hampton-Eton Sub-Basin were first identified 30 years ago by Director of Public Works Joe Carilli, PE. These systems have been ignored, neglected and mismanaged by elected and appointed city officials for decades.

Over 50 properties are flooding in the surrounding neighborhoods including the retention pond… 10 floods since July 4, 2023. The unhealthy, contaminated flooding water contains bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc. The cause is undeniable, the effects will be catastrophic if the flooding is allowed to continue. Weston-Sampson Engineers reported: “The state of the infrastructure is at crisis levels.”

All of the related flooding concerns including water damage, health issues, system upgrades, etc. are beyond our control. There will be 2-3 or more years of tropical-rainy seasons as we wait for inspections, funding, planning and construction.

As we have noted, more uncontrolled flooding will continue to take its toll on our properties and structures. Now sections of our interior, front foundation wall, the north side which faces the retention pond, have been breached by the flooding water. This is an emergency situation which we will attend to asap. The cost of this repair will be sent to the City’s insurance company for immediate reimbursement along with our other recorded, outstanding flood related expenses. Old Republic-PMA Claim #L004368137.

Intense rainfall overwhelms the compromised Allen St. System flooding the Hampton-Eton System, our neighborhoods and the retention pond. Our water tables rise and the flood water infiltrates and saturates our land. The resulting increased underground water pressure threatens our foundations and slabs. Factor in the related hidden underground soil erosion, settling, shifting and potential sink holes, our foundations and structures are at further risk.

As Moriarty has noted, the city will be installing a 66″ pipe on Allen St. replacing the compromised 24″ pipe. For 30 years, the compromised 24″ pipe on Allen St. has been overwhelmed, flooding our neighborhoods and compromising the smaller pipes and drainage structures in the Hampton-Eton Sub-Basin. The accelerated wear and tear on the outdated and undersized Hampton-Eton System cannot be properly evaluated without a complete inspection by city engineers.

Now we are told by a city official that “we are biting the hand that feeds us!” Really… Who is feeding whom? You are criticizing us for our civic efforts to uncover the truth about the flooding…We are engaged because our city officials have neglected our infrastructure problems for decades. The more we shine the light on this problem; the more defensive our city officials become. After all…It has been decades.

Thank you!

F&S Chase

10 floods over the past 14 months:

July 4 and 16, 2023
August 18, 2023
September 9 and 13, 2023
December 18, 2023
June 22 and 30, 2024
August 18 and 19, 2024

Governor Lamont’s Flyer

Allen St. Drainage Improvements and Reconstruction Phase 2 Project Urgent Notice to All State Politicians and Officials: The Allen St. Phase 2 Project must be funded immediately. Allen St. and our surrounding neighborhoods have flooded ten times since July 4, 2023. We have listed 21 reasons for our pleas for help. Governor Lamont we need your leadership now. Please expedite and fast track the $9.7M Allen St. Bonding Initiative. We know it can be done! 1) The City of New Britain has committed $4.2M for the $13.9M Allen St. Project. 2) The Allen St. Project is critical to resolving chronic issues including flooding due to storm-sewer failures, sanitary back-ups and breaks due to insufficient capacity and the system's age. 3) Allen St. and the surrounding neighborhoods are not in flood zones. 4) Storm-sanitary cross connections exist on Allen St. further contributing to this public health emergency. 5) Our quality of life is suffering and our property values have declined by 15%. 6) The unhealthy contaminants in the flooding water include; bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc. 7) Flooding anxiety and distress are real health issues. 8) Our taxes increase while our neighborhoods continue to flood. 10 floods since July 4, 2023. 9) We demand our fair share of money from state bonding initiatives to fund our most pressing need; The Allen St. Phase 2 Project. 10) The compromised Allen St. System creates an open air cesspool on Allen St. and in surrounding neighborhoods. 11) Our properties are the catch basin-toilet bowl, where contaminated flood water gathers, waiting for rain events to end before receding. 12) Intense rainfall overwhelms the compromised Allen St. System flooding our neighborhoods and retention pond. 13) The elevated terrain in our area surges the uncontrolled flood water through our properties. 14) Water tables rise and flood water infiltrates and saturates our land. The resulting increased underground water pressure threatens our foundations and slabs. 15) Factor in the related hidden underground soil erosion, settling, shifting and potential sink holes, our foundations and structures are all at further risk. 16) Sink holes cause damage with an estimated cost on average of $300M per year in the USA. 17) Our neighborhoods (50+ properties) resemble that of a third world country during these flooding events. 18) The cause is undeniable...The effects will be catastrophic if the flooding is allowed to continue. 19) The compromised Allen St. System and the required upgrades are beyond our control. 20) The resulting flooding and the related damage is beyond our control. 21) Weston-Sampson Engineers wrote that the Allen St. Project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels. Get Involved! Stay Informed! Frank Chase: fchase989@yahoo.com 860-989-7205

Allen St. Design Schedule

Allen St. Funding Commitment

Allen St. Commitment for Allen Street Flood Project

Cardinal Engineering Allen St. Project Estimates

Cardinal Engineering Allen Street Project cost estimate — *Click to open.*

Attached Flooding Photos:

Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.

Hampton-Eton Typical Flooding.

24 Roxbury Typical Flooding.

Newbury Typical Flooding.

In case you missed it:

All of our recent flooding updates and narratives with photos and documents are posted on-line in the New Britain Progressive “Flooding Series”. Check it out when you can.

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