Allen St. Drainage Improvements and Reconstruction – Presentation #29 to our New Britain City Officials
All of our recent storm-sewer flooding updates and narratives with photos and documents are published on-line in the New Britain Progressive’s Flooding Series.
To: Allen St. Flooding Victims, Concerned Citizens, City and State Officials,
My wife Sharon and I have been campaigning since September of 2023 to correct the infrastructure problems related to the Allen St. Storm-Sewer System in our neighborhood. This system serves 177 acres of developed, congested, residential neighborhoods.
Intense rainfall infiltrates our compromised infrastructure systems, flooding and saturating our land overwhelming our storm-sewer systems and our retention pond. Our particular section of this acreage receives the brunt of the contaminated flooding water. The contaminants in the flooding water include bacteria, fecal matter, fats, motor oil, grease, etc.
As we sift through all of the information that we have gathered, classic cause and effect scenarios become crystal clear:
As Mayor Stewart noted back in 2013 when she took office; “The Allen St. Project is our most pressing need. 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”.
Stewart also identified storm-sanitary cross connections on Allen St. further contributing to this public health crisis. These cross connections and the flooding (due to compromised, outdated and undersized storm-sewer systems) also impair the Mattabassett Water Pollution Control Facility in Cromwell, CT which serves New Britain and 6 other towns.
During these storm-sewer flooding events, we are treating more water than needed, adding to our costs. Over the decades, since the Allen St. Problem was first identified in 1995, the citizens of New Britain have paid out thousands of extra water treatment dollars unnecessarily because our city officials have not prioritized and funded the Allen St. Project!
Additionally, factor in the thousands of dollars spent to repair the related storm-sewer system failures, to update aging engineering plans and to pay out damage claims to our storm-sewer flooding victims. This fiscal behavior is unacceptable. This is clearly a dereliction of duty by our city officials. Our livability and safety conditions continue to be at risk!
The storm-sewer experts use the term “I&I”: I&I describes what happens when stormwater (inflow) and groundwater (infiltration) enter a wastewater system. This water, which ideally should drain into the ground or be routed to storm drains, can easily overload compromised wastewater systems, causing sewage overflows to streams and rivers, backups in basements, localized flooding, groundwater ponding and impaired water pollution control operations, etc.
The Weston-Sampson Engineers’ review from August 2023 again confirms that the Allen St. Project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at CRISIS levels! Our water pollution control facility is impaired during these flooding events and our neighborhoods, properties and structures will remain in harm’s way because our city and state officials have neglected and mismanaged the Allen St. Problem.
Another interesting fact to consider… The Overlook-McKinley Project (started in 12/24) funded with ARPA money and the Allen St. Project are stand alone projects, not included in the NB FLUSH Program. Why is this? Our city officials tell us that the Allen St. Project is too costly and too complex for our local officials. As it turns out, the Allen St. Plan from 2013 had a price tag of approximately $7M. Mayor Stewart chose to ignore this plan. The updated 2025 plan has a price tag of approximately $15M.
Cardinal Engineers are responsible for the final Allen St. Plan. Cardinal Engineers have the storm-sewer planning experience to efficiently guide us through this process. Cardinal Engineers tell us that the Allen St. Project has some unique issues, but nothing that cannot be resolved.
Since the Allen St. Problem was first identified 30+ years ago, our city officials have received millions of dollars from our state and federal partners. For example, recently, our current city administration has received the following:
ARPA Funds: $56M
Increased Tax Revenue: $16M
State Money: $97M
Total: $169M
We have included the Mayor’s allocations for some of this money. See attachments, below. As you will see, not ONE DOLLAR for the Allen St. Project. After 11 years in office, Mayor Stewart has not stepped up to fully fund the Allen St. Project while the Allen St. Storm-Sewer System continues to deteriorate and our neighborhoods, properties and structures continue to flood with contaminated water!
In fact, Mayor Stewart is now threatening to pull her 30% funding commitment that she made to the state bonding initiative. This is the legacy Stewart will leave behind… Our neighborhoods will continue to flood with contaminated water from compromised storm-sewer systems. Emergency City Bonding is fiscally smart for the Allen St. Project.
Over the years, the mayor has blamed our state legislators for their lack of action. The numbers tell a different story. Millions of dollars have flowed to New Britain from our state and federal partners which were used for other higher profile projects. The mayor has set her own agenda ignoring and neglecting her constituents in Ward 4, allowing the Allen St. neighborhoods to flood with contaminated water and consequently, impairing the Mattabassett Facility which serves New Britain and 6 other towns.
Our State Legislators must press for Emergency State Bonding and other funding options as noted by New Britain City Council Majority Leader McNamara in his recent CT Mirror article… “There can be no more URGENT priority for the Lamont Administration and Legislative Leaders in 2025 than to help communities with “grants-in-aid” for stormwater infrastructure improvements in HIGH RISK AREAS. In addition, a major boost to the state’s Clean Water Fund with earmarks for sewer and storm water upgrades would also help communities address their most urgent needs”. Alderman McNamara lives in Ward 4 close to the Allen St. problem.
Our city and state officials must prioritize, plan, fund and construct the Allen St. Project. The Allen St. Plan will be bid ready-shovel ready by April 1, 2025 per Public Works Director Moriarty. We know that this project is shovel worthy because of the cause and effect scenarios detailed for us by Mayor Stewart and Weston-Sampson Engineers.
City and State Officials Redeem Yourselves! No More Delays!
Our City and State Officials Must Prioritize, Fund and Construct the Allen St. Project NOW!
Thank you.
F&S Chase
Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:
Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.
Hampton-Eton Typical Flooding.
Newbury Typical Flooding.
24 Roxbury Typical Flooding.