it's Morris Cove. that area always floods. always. I've lived in East Haven 25 years, it floods multiple times every year. Your real estate agent should have told you that. The previous owners should have told you, heck, you should have asked the neighbors before you moved in.

Flooded again, June 13, 2011

Flooded AGAIN, June 23, 2011

Flooded again, approximately July1

Flooding AGAIN

This issue was recategorized from Other to Public Space, Streets and Drains.

Issue has not been solved. While there is a pump stationed at the corner of Dean Street and Morris Causeway which is turned on when the street floods, pumping water and other street detritus into the tidal creek that runs along the edge of the airport and empties into the shoreline. While that does lower the water level in the street, that is not a solution, but stop-gap measures.

This part of Morris Cove is essentially the bottom of a bowl, with elevations as low as 4' (elevation is measured from approximately the midpoint between high and low tide). It is surrounded by higher elevations - the seawall along Townsend is 12' at its lowest elevation, and the tidegate where Morris Creek empties out is 10.5' (the surge during Sandy was 11-12' and briefly overtopped the tidegate). A normal high tide is about 3.5' and a lunar tide can be 4.5'. This "bowl" drains through Morris Creek, but during high tides, the Creek often backs up (the tidegate closes to keep the tide from coming in with even more water) and we can see flooding.

A few years ago, the problem was worse. The street drains empty into Morris Creek (with screens and traps to catch detritus), but when the Creek backed up the water would flow in the opposite direction and make the flooding worse. These street drains were fitted with valves that allow the water to only go in one direction so that water from the Creek won't make the flooding worse - but there is still the flooding from rain that falls in this area that cannot go anywhere until low tide. There is the pump that can pump some of this water over the berm into the Creek (while the new valves keep it from flowing back into the street through the storm drains), but this is only a partial solution. The City has applied for hazard mitigation funding to build a more robust pumping system, but that is an expensive improvement. Given the low elevation right next to the Sound, even this more expensive improvement will not completely eliminate the risk of flooding. The City is committed to doing all we can to protect this area, and are fighting right now to extend the seawall the protect the natural berm that prevents flooding from coming in from the Sound during bad storms in addition to trying to get funding to build a more robust pumping system.

We are closing this request due to its historic nature. If this concern still requires attention and you still believe SeeClickFix is a viable tool for its resolution the best way for it to be addressed is for you to create a new request including a current description of what is occurring and what solution you hope to see regarding this matter, citing/linking this request in the details. Thank you for your dedication to improving the quality of life in our community.