Southington secures $300K federal grant to reduce Plantsville flooding

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Southington received $300,000 in federal funding to address the recurring floods in Plantsville and address critical infrastructure, according to an announcement by Rep. Chris Poulos (D-Southington) Friday.

The funds will go toward an engineering study to identify long-term flood-mitigation solutions, aimed at protecting homes and businesses, according to the statement. The town secured the funds through partnership with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.).

Located along the Quinnipiac River, Plantsville has experienced flooding for decades, according to the press release. At times, severe storms and heavy rainfall periodically threaten homes, businesses and roads in Plantsville.

This is a really important issue here, but increasingly all across the state, as we are getting more severe storms, more severe flooding,” Murphy said. “We are finding that more commercial districts are underwater more regularly.”

The study will look the neighborhood’s current conditions, look at possible mitigation strategies, and position the town to compete for future funding opportunities, the release said. It allows Southington engineers to obtain more information about where the community currently stands in regard to flood-mitigation efforts and infrastructure.

“The Engineering department is very pleased on behalf of the town regarding the award of the Plantsville flooding study grant,” said the Southington Engineering Department.

“The study is needed due to the limited existing information available through FEMA,” the Southington Engineering Department said in the release. “It is a paramount step in making vulnerable areas of the town more resilient to potential damage associated with ongoing flooding.”

This grant also seeks to alleviate the frequency of future flood occurrences and help engineers have a better overall understanding of the Quinnipiac watershed, according to Southington engineers.

The state Department of Transportation said the funds will also help residents and businesses.

“It is critical that communities have the resources to prepare for and recover from flooding and other severe weather events,” said DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.

In regard to the federal funding, Rep. Donna Veach (R-Conn.) released the following statement:

“I think it’s great that our federal leadership and partners in Washington worked closely with our state delegation to secure these funds. This study will help determine why the Quinnipiac River backs up and the reason surrounding areas like North Main Street are unpassable when it does. I’m grateful for these types of funds making their way to our towns and the improvements that will ultimately come from digging deeper into this issue.”

Sen. Rob Sampson (R-Plantsville) said the following in a statement:

“Flood mitigation is an investment in the long-term safety and vitality of the Plantsville community. I’m pleased to see this project moving forward and appreciate everyone who helped make it possible.”