An alert (and very worried) “06880” reader is still drying out from Tuesday’s 3.5-inch rainstorm — and the 7-plus inches that cascaded down on Westport just a week earlier. She writes:
I know mine is not the only neighborhood in town suffering from this problem.
Like many others, 2 feet of water caused terrible flooding in our basement last Tuesday. Fortunately it was immediately sucked out by our sump pumps — but the damage was done.
The high water mark on an “06880” reader’s garage is very high.
We have lived in our house for 9 years. We had a similar problem once before, but it only resulted in 4 inches in the basement.
It is my observation — and that of my neighbor, who has lived in her house for 30 years — that this is a progressively worsening problem. It is due to the huge swaths of land that have been cleared, so new homes could be built behind ours.
Where there used to be trees and forest, there is open land. The new houses are bigger than others.
There is nothing to absorb excess water. It just runs over the huge lawns to the lowest point: my driveway.
My drain can’t keep up, so it backs into the basement.
Another view of recent flooding.
My parents — who live in another part of town — have seen huge rivers of rain wash down their road, which they never had in the 30+ years they have lived in their home. They think it may be due to huge houses being built in the neighborhood above theirs.
Is this a larger town issue, with all the new construction and water being diverted as it hadn’t before? Is there a way for me (or anyone else in this situation) to have someone from the town look into this?
If so, who would that be? I know the weather has been more extreme, but I think there is more to it than that. Any insights from “06880” readers would be appreciated.
