Dear Editor,

After careful consideration, our group would like to comment on
Darien’s recently announced flood mitigation plan.  We are elated to
see that the Town of Darien is moving toward a plan. We are still very
skeptical about implementation of this plan since Darien has let
drainage plans grind to a halt in the past 50 years.

The people who flooded in 2007 and who will probably be flooded in the
future have requested the same three flood control action items from
the beginning –
1) water retention, 2) residential –water and drainage mitigation–
regulations coupled with enforcement, and 3) regular scheduled
maintenance of the Town’s drainage system and drainage creeks.

We applaud Darien for acknowledging retention ponds as a key piece of
flood mitigation. We need to utilize ponds and dry basins everywhere.
Upstream retention, north of I-95, will reduce downstream flooding for
everyone.

The town’s report mentions briefly that maintenance is done to the
drainage system. The fact is that maintenance has been delayed and
unenforced by the Town of Darien. The Town acknowledges that it uses
Stony Brook to drain water from 40% of the town. Drainage pipes point
water into Stony Brook and it’s tributaries from public and private
property, yet the town relies on the good will of private property
owners to keep it clean and free of debris. The report states the town
“encourages” residents to “keep water ways and storm drains clear of
debris.”  What’s the encouragement? Will there be tax incentives for
people who keep their portion of a waterway clean? After three major
floods there is still manmade debris in our creeks, it’s unclear
whether the Town and State have resolved who should clean what and
when, and although the Town now states property owners are responsible
for cleaning drainage creeks—there is no enforcement by the Town of
Darien.

The Town has agreed that residential development has added to the
overburdening of our watersheds. In the 1950’s Darien had almost 20
inches of rain in a week from back to back hurricanes (Connie and
Diane). The result was flooding. The town is now flooding with 4
inches of rain.  Yet for the past year we have heard that residential
regulations for the control of water runoff are being drafted and
still we have no regulations. Other neighboring towns, such as
Greenwich, have residential regulations. Where are Darien’s
regulations and why is this taking so long to draft and implement?

Our hope is that the Town of Darien will be proactive and earmark a
portion of the first money spent on flooding on items that carry the
most immediate impact.  Without maintenance, regulation and
enforcement, and then retention, the citizens of Darien are left to
pray for a dry spell.

Save Darien’s Wetlands, Inc.
Vanessa Wood, president
Christopher P. Rowland, vice president
Laura Giobbi, secretary
www.savedarienswetlands.org