Selectmen approve $130,000 to study Darien's Noroton River

Written by Lynsey Santimays
Monday, 02 November 2009 09:39

More funds for floods. Or flood prevention, that is.

At last week’s meeting, the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the appropriation of $130,000 to pay the engineering firm Milone & MacBroom to study the Noroton River Watershed. This will be the third watershed study out of five.

“We have made great progress during the last two years on understanding our topography in Darien, and we need to continue with that progress,” First Selectman Evonne Klein told The Darien Times Tuesday. “It is important to know what we are dealing with, what our challenges are, and identify and implement solutions.”

The Stony Brook Watershed was studied earlier in the year, with findings presented in March and recommendations made to the selectman in June. The study of the Goodwives Watershed began in July, with their findings presented at the selectmen meeting on Oct. 19. Both Five Mile River and Tokeneke Brook have yet to be studied.

As Monday was the second-to-last meeting for this current board, the selectmen were eager to encourage this study and future studies of town watersheds.

“In my opinion, I think we need to know what we don’t know,” Selectman David Bayne said. “This is a problem that is 50 years in the making, and there are a huge wrath of issues out there that we simply aren’t aware of.”

Bayne added: “At least we can have the studies on hand, be poised and ready to act when the will is there to do so.”

Selectman Seth Morton echoed these feelings, saying, “I don’t see how you can leave the job two-thirds done, we need to have a complete picture.”

“We need to do the studies in order to stop this crazy flooding cycle,” Selectman Callie Sullivan added.

“This is the right thing for us to do, we need to understand,” Selectman Linda Santarella said.

With all of the selectmen in clear support of the watershed studies, Klein reminded everyone that to study is simply not enough when it comes to this problem.

“I’m concerned about what is going to happen with these flood recommendations,” Klein said Monday. “I think it’s critical that future Boards of Selectmen don’t take a blind eye to problems that exist.”

Klein elaborated on Tuesday to The Times, saying, “You can study, and study, and study; but if they are put on a shelf to collect dust, they are worthless.”

Klein hopes that future boards continue with the studies, and seriously consider implementing the proposed solutions that come out of them. But as her six years as first selectman come to a close, she is confident that she has done all she can to address the flooding issue.

“The one thing that is burned in my brain is that 50 years ago, our community chose not to act,” Klein said Monday. “I don’t want to be the one who people look back at and say ‘she chose not to act, she chose not to move it forward.’”

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