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Politics & Government

Committee Reviews Drainage Solution Alternatives

The town's storm sewer line backs up and floods the Shakespeare Estates condominium.

An engineering firm hired by the town has recommended two alternatives for dealing with a severe drainage problem at a Knowlton Street condominium, which they say is caused by a poorly built municipal drainage pipe.

Edward J. Robarge, a senior engineer with Nafis & Young, said the town could replace all six manholes with new, precast manholes, or replace most of the three-foot-wide drainage pipes with 48-inch and 42-inch pipes.

The first alternative is estimated to cost $110,000 and the second about $180,000, according to the Nafis & Young report, which was presented to the Town Council’s public works committee Monday.

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Robarge also recommended the town inspect the entire pipe as it crosses the 34-unit Shakespeare Estates condominium, because there is a good possibility a blockage is causing at least some of the problem.

However, the engineering firm believes the main cause is that that section of the storm sewer line was poorly built in 2001 when the condominium was constructed.

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Condominium residents say the faulty storm drain backs up and forms a pond three feet deep between their buildings. The problem first appeared about five years ago, they said.

The question of who would pay for the work was raised at the committee meeting. The condominium association feels the town owns the pipe and is responsible for its maintenance, so the town should pay.

Town Engineer John Casey said that issue is something that should be discussed with the town attorney.

As for now, the public works committee focused only on what is the best engineering solution.

The Shakespeare Estates condo is nestled between the homes along Knowlton Street and the I-95 highway, near the intersection of Knowlton and Rockwell Avenue.

The pipe is designed to carry the storm runoff from the adjacent 56-acre residential neighborhood. Robarge said his firm believes the pipe was designed correctly, but constructed poorly.

However, the fact that that section of the storm drain line has six manholes which direct the course of the storm water through multiple 90-degree turns is also believed to cause part of the problem. At least it makes the drainage line more difficult to maintain, Robarge said.

Robarge said manhole #6, which is located at the first of the 90-degree turns, was installed 1.5 feet too low, and since it was built it has sunk another 1.5 feet. The low elevation point slows the speed that water pours through the line during a storm.

As a result, the storm runoff water backs up and floods the condominium complex.

A two-foot-wide overflow relief line apparently is unable to compensate for the low elevation problem.

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