Project Summary

The Waterford Municipal Infrastructure Resilience Project is a two-part project that assesses the vulnerabilities of the town’s sewer pumps stations as well as an analysis of drainage at Gardiners Wood Road.  The flooding Waterford has been receiving during recent storms has caused disruptions to multiple pump stations, demonstrating the need for repairs. Due to these interruptions in necessary services and the cost of repairs, the town sought funding to evaluate the vulnerability of the seven pump stations currently in the FEMA 100-year floodplain. The pump stations evaluated are on the border, or within areas noted as having a high probability of inundation under certain sea level rise scenarios.

Upon receiving an award from CIRCA’s Municipal Resilience Grant Program, the Waterford Utility Commission (WUC) engaged the consulting firm Wright-Pierce to evaluate the vulnerability of seven waste water pumping stations with potential for flooding and provide recommendations and associated costs to improve resiliency. Three pump stations were identified as having a first-floor elevation or access point below the 100-year base flood elevation including the Bolles Court Pump Stations, the Mago Point Pump Station, and the Niantic River Road Pump Station. Additionally, all seven pump stations have access points below the recommended flood protection elevation of 100-year base flood elevation plus 3-feet. This Municipal Resilience Grant award was for the amount of $5,800.

Product

Waterford-final-report

Project Description

The resulting report included recommended design elevations and specific flood proofing projects to protect critical wastewater infrastructure under future flood scenarios. The report helps the town prioritize repairs and capital plans relative to each of the sewer pump stations through a series of recommended flood proofing measures.

Significant outcomes of the report that align with CIRCA’s mission include:

1. Information that can be used in capital planning efforts to advance recommendations for pump station adaptation and the town’s resiliency planning.
2. A simple and effective tool to educate the public about opportunities to improve the resilience of Waterford’s critical infrastructure.

Furthermore, this project provided Waterford with a foundation to implement resilient solutions to reduce vulnerability of the built environment and protect important natural resources from pollution and degradation.

Completion date: September 2017

Project Lead

Abby Y. Piersall, Town of Waterford Planning Director