Updated 1-30-26 Presentation #50: This revised record shares the current status of our neighborhood’s storm, sewer, and water systems, along with responses from our City, State, and Federal Officials. Our concerns must be prioritized.
To: Our Neighborhood Flooding, Sanitary Back-Up, and Break Victims
Concerned Taxpayers and Residents
City, State, and Federal Officials
As Senator Blumenthal noted, we have aging infrastructure across the entire state. What recently happened in Waterbury with their water mains is a warning to every municipality. The weaknesses in our infrastructure must be anticipated, assessed, and fixed before they cause this kind of distress in our community.
The distress that Blumenthal mentions has been happening in the Allen St. neighborhoods for years. Our taxpayers deserve better than this. Hundreds of millions of earmark-free dollars from our State and Federal Partners flow to New Britain annually. Our City Officials have routinely prioritized and allocated these funds to other projects, disregarding the taxpayers and flood victims in Ward 4. Our flood victims are asking for our long-overdue fair share of funding to end this distress in our neighborhoods.
There are many competing projects in New Britain, none more urgent than the Allen St. Project. Stop the Allen St. Flooding Now!
As the victims view it:
The Allen St. Problem was first identified by former Public Works Director Joe Carilli in the mid 1990’s. Over the past 30+ years, the problem has deteriorated further, and it has been neglected and mismanaged by our City Officials:
1) The Allen St. Storm-Sewer System serves 177 acres of developed, congested residential neighborhoods. Intense rainfall easily overwhelms this compromised, malfunctioning, outdated, and undersized storm-sewer system and our retention pond. Our section of this acreage receives the brunt of the flooding, including sanitary back-ups and breaks.
2) The compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System creates the worst flooding in New Britain. We do not live in a flood zone, but we are forced to carry flood insurance. We’ve had 13 floods since 2018, with each creating an open-air cesspool on Allen St. and in the surrounding neighborhoods. The unhealthy contaminants in the floodwater include bacteria, fecal matter, fats, oils, grease, etc.
3) When the contaminated floodwater recedes, and during dry spells, we have been conveniently forgotten by our city officials. Our quality of life continues to suffer, our safety remains at risk, and 50+ properties and structures are at risk.
4) As Mayor Stewart noted, “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. The Allen St. Problem is a definite hazard, and the Allen St. Project is our most pressing need.”
5) The cause and effect are undeniable. Weston-Sampson Engineers declared, “The Allen St. Project must be a priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels.” Mayor Bobby Sanchez and Director Moriarty are developing a fiscally responsible plan to complete the overdue upgrades to the Allen St. Storm-Sewer System and the Water Main. The target construction start date is spring 2027 or sooner.
So we are clear, here is an overview of what happens in our neighborhoods during these flooding events:
6) The elevated terrain in our area surges the uncontrolled flooding water through our properties.
7) Water tables rise, and flood water infiltrates and saturates our land. The water has nowhere to drain. The increased underground water pressure threatens our foundations, slabs, and structures. Sanitary back-ups and breaks also occur.
8) Factor in the related hidden underground soil erosion, settling, shifting, and potential sink holes caused by the flooding water, infiltration, and saturation; our foundations and structures are at further risk. See our basement wall photos, which show the floodwater’s destructive force and the resulting damage to our foundation.
The longer the project is delayed, the more expensive it will become. Time is of the essence. See more details in Majority Leader McNamara’s recent report:
9) We cannot lose the Allen St. Project to the bureaucratic, fiscal, and political shuffle that has delayed it for 30+ years. All of our taxpayers are penalized by these delays because of the increased costs (millions of dollars) passed on to the City from the Mattabasset Treatment Plant. These costs include excessive ground-storm water pumping and treatment fees resulting from infiltration, inflows, overflows, and cross-connections in the compromised Allen St. Storm-Sewer System.
10) Other costs include basement flooding, sanitary back-ups and breaks, private property damage and mitigation, regulatory penalties, litigation, environmental degradation, public health concerns, band-aid repairs, flood insurance, and related costs. Many of these additional costs (hundreds of thousands of dollars) have been unfairly absorbed by our taxpayers.
11) The Plans…
- 2013 O’Brien’s Cardinal Engineering Allen St. Storm-Sewer Plan: Estimated at nearly $7M+.
- 2024 Stewart’s Cardinal Engineering Allen St. Storm-Sewer Plan: Estimated at nearly $14M+.
- 2026 Waiting on the revised Sanchez-Moriarty Cardinal Engineering Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Water Plan.
Per Director Moriarty, “We will not know the final cost until the construction bids come in.”
12) On day one, Mayor Sanchez asked Director Moriarty to provide a serious due diligence report regarding the specific requirements needed to successfully start and complete the Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Water Project for the benefit of all. Once again, please view Majority Leader McNamara’s recent report, after #8 above.
13) The project encompasses 3500′ of roadway improvements and utility upgrades from Oak St. to Beacon St. along Allen St. The years of delays with multiple excuses, and the complexities of the project, including planning, funding, deep rock excavations 20 feet underground, and no phasing, have driven the costs higher.
14) Funding Sources and Amounts: Potentially $18M.
- City $6M+.
- State $2M.
- US EPA $1M.
- Possible State LOTCIP $5M.
- Possible Federal $4M per Congresswoman Hayes.
As Bobby Sanchez noted for all of us last fall, “After 12 years of excuses…ACTION ON DAY ONE!…Allen St. improvements, courtesy of Bobby Sanchez. Real leadership means getting it done.”
Actions and results speak loudly; Bobby and his team are working diligently to build the Allen St. Storm-Sewer-Water Project for all taxpayers. After years of neglect, we will see real results from Mayor Sanchez and his team.
Thank you.
F&S Chase
Flooding Victims
Independent Voices Matter
Allen St. Basin Flooding Photos:
Stanley-Roxbury-Newbury Typical Retention Pond Flooding.
Hampton-Eton Typical Flooding.
Newbury Typical Flooding.
24 Roxbury Typical Flooding.
Brighton Street
