Study of Floods Underway

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About a hundred people packed into an auditorium to get answers to questions about the floods New Hampshire suffered in May 2006 and April 2007.
Federal Emergency Management officials have paid 330-thousand dollars to independent contractors to study the causes.
Their goal will be to answer two questions: why was the flooding worse in April than the previous Mother’s day despite less rainfall … and could it have been less severe if emergency operations had started earlier.
Engineer Brent McCarthy says they’ll also study dams in four main river basins in the southern part of the state; the Piscataquog, Salmon Falls, Suncook, and Southegan.
1089 :24 the reasons these basins were selected is because they were all basins in which flood effected communities had questioned the roles dams may have played during the floods.
The point is to determine just how much of the flooding was manmade and how much was environmental.
But many local emergency officials are concerned that the scope of the study doesn’t take into consideration other factors that can lead to flooding, such as downed trees, debris and even beaver dams.
Somersworth Fire Chief Donald Messier says downed trees and debris are now part of the makeup of some rivers.
1101 4:38:38 our concern is, is it going to create dams we’re not aware of, natural causing dams by the falling debris, is it going to create dams against bridges downstream and back it up further
Messier and others at the meeting also say the amount of impervious surface and development surrounding the rivers should be taken into account.
1101 5:04 impervious surface is a huge concern in Strafford County, we have a lot of buildout, every square foot of pavement or building, it means water doesn’t drain, to me that’s a concern, that’s a factor of the flooding and I’m not so sure they’re going to be looking at that.//
6:15 “We just recently flew the rivers in Rochester and that’s what we looked at”
That’s Rochester’s Assistant Fire Chief Derek Peters.
“we took pictures and video from Milton to Somersworth of the Cocheco and the Salmon Falls, to try to address these problems, what they’re doing is great, but it’s not addressing our immediate needs and that’s what we have to look at”
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After the meeting people were able to ask engineers conducting the study about specific concerns.
Goffstown resident Chris Coulee lives along the Piscataquog River near the Kelley Falls Dam and experienced major flooding.
He’s says he’s glad the causes are finally being studied.
1107 :17 I think it will be a good study, hopefully it will be beneficial to the outcome -- I’m not a hundred percent convinced whether there can be any operational changes that can happen at the dams that can make a difference, I’m a dam engineer so not only did I get flooded I happen to know a little bit about it :37
Coulee and other residents expressed a sense of urgency – recommendations from the study won’t be finished until mid-March, final results won’t be available until May.
That’s too late to help out with potential spring flooding next year.
And some are worried that local and state officials may just ignore the recommendations, especially if they are too costly.
Again, Chris Coulee.
:49 it’s all going to be boil down to how much money is available and what can be done with that and where it can be allocated from and will the feds chip in and will the state chip in, and that’s what it will come down to
FEMA officials say there may not be a magic bullet in their recommendations to prevent future flooding.
They just hope to give New Hampshire residents some reassurance that whatever can be done is being done.
Two more public meetings on the flooding are scheduled for March and June of next year.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.