Portland

Situation: 

Adaptation options and implementation planning that are identified and carried forward to conceptual design will incorporate the Resilient Connecticut PERSISTS criteria.

The flooding that is occurring is pluvial; it is not related to the Connecticut River or the former brownstone quarry ponds, which are nearby.  The senior center parking lot, police department parking lot, and library parking lot are part of a shallow topographic depression or “bowl” located on the east of Main Street and the south side of Waverly Avenue.  The Town believes that buried drainage systems formerly conveyed stormwater to the south (crossing under Freestone Avenue) and then toward Main Street, but these drainage systems are currently believed to be impaired.

Because three critical facilities and their access (parking, doors, etc.) are affected by flooding, and because at least two are needed during severe storms, floodproofing is not the sole sufficient long-term solution for the buildings.  The Town wishes to reduce the frequency, area, and depth of flooding by reducing stormwater formation and runoff; and by improving collection and conveyance where feasible.  Co-benefits are possible if green infrastructure solutions are part of the set of options pursued for the study area.  For example, green infrastructure could help reduce extreme heat vulnerability depending on its characteristics.

Furthermore, because the senior center is the cooling center, the Town will need to ensure that pedestrian access from surrounding neighborhoods and from Middletown Area Transit lines is resilient to the effects of extreme heat events.  This project could help advance cooling opportunities along the pedestrian accessways.  Middletown Area Transit bus access is located on Main Street, Route 66, and High Street (in other words, the study area is bounded on three sides by the Portland bus line of Middletown Area Transit).