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Warren residents press council to clear clogged brook after years of backyard flooding
Summary
Resident Sheila Belanger told the Warren Town Council that a clogged brook behind Central Avenue homes has caused yards to flood for decades and urged the town to act; the council agreed to make the issue a September agenda item and asked staff for a status update and options.
Sheila Belanger, a resident who lives on Central Avenue, urged the Warren Town Council to address chronic flooding behind several properties and the progressive collapse of brook walls that she said is pushing water closer to homes. “The brook is so clogged. It's coming closer to the house,” Belanger said, recounting repeated sump-pump use and the loss of yard area when it rains.
Belanger told the council she and neighbors have pursued the problem for years, pointing to a 2001 engineering assessment that she said estimated repairs at about $1,500,000 and later applications to DEM and CRMC beginning in 2020. She said engineers proposed phased alternatives and that the town had previously contracted studies; she asked the council to pursue interim debris clearing while larger repairs are planned.
Town staff and council members said federal and state environmental rules limit what the town can do in areas DEM has designated a natural stream, and that access and easements have been a recurring constraint. A staff speaker summarized earlier plans that included a retention pond on donated land and a phased stone-lined stream option that was blocked when neighbors refused access.
Council President asked staff and department heads to prepare a September agenda item with a breakdown of where the project stands, options available and anticipated next steps. Council agreed to the follow-up to keep the issue on the town’s radar.
The council did not authorize immediate construction or funding tonight; rather it instructed staff to return with an update. The item will be on the September agenda for a fuller status report and possible next actions.
