The Beaver Brook flows along the east side of the City through residential neighborhoods. It then empties into the Ashuelot River near the intersection of Main Street and Route 101. This brook has a history of overflowing its banks and causing significant flood damage. In 2005, 2012, and 2013, large areas of the City along the brook were impacted by floodwaters. The City also experiences impacts from climate change with more intense and more frequent rain events. This project will perform a hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the Beaver Brook watershed for various storm events (5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 year(s)). The City will use the latest rain data to perform this analysis. This project will allow the City to develop a flood management master plan for Beaver Brook. Strategies within this plan may include the creation of floodwater storage areas; identification of obstructions that need to be removed; and upgrade of properties that could be considered for flood-proofing or removal to address flooding. This will also support a number of high-priority projects in the City's 2013 Hazard Mitigation Plan. In 2016, City staff met with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to discuss a collaborative project. Under this arrangement, the USACE will perform this analysis with the City being responsible for a 50% match in consulting fees after the first $100,000. The City will benefit from a more detailed analysis and recommendations for future flood mitigation projects. Unfortunately, this also means that we have significantly less control over the progress and schedule of the work. It is unclear at this time when the work by the USACE will be completed or what recommendations will be developed. Funds are requested in FY28 & FY29 to begin implementing the recommended projects. As of September 11, 2024, this project is included in the city's 2025-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
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