How can we adapt our infrastructure to future extreme weather conditions? – NBC Connecticut

A sunny and dry weekend is ahead but that will not be enough to help our waterlogged states.

Ida brought intense rains to our region. Some cities in Connecticut saw more than 6 or 7 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. But when it comes to flooding, our infrastructure is also to blame.

Governor Ned Lamont discussed some of the measures the state has taken to try to prevent future flooding, which includes legislation that examines hot spots and how they can be remedied.

“We have put in place a bill this year that says that those who create a lot of roads, maybe they have big parking lots will pay a small fee to the municipality, this fee will go towards resilience, go to drainage go to whatever we can to prevent flooding like we’ve never seen before, ”Lamont said.

Christine Kirchhoff, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut, spoke with Dan Corcoran of NBC Connecticut to discuss our infrastructure and what needs to be done to protect our future.

Flash floods and swollen rivers wreaked havoc across Connecticut in Ida’s wake.

Dan: “So Christine, we told you a few weeks ago about how our state’s water systems were handling this wet summer. And you said at the time that this would really test how much infrastructure could. Take. Since then we’ve had several big storms, bad rains. So what do you think? Now how did our systems work? “

Kirchhoff: “Well I think it probably depends on how much rain you got in one particular area in one go, you know the faster the precipitation hits the ground and runs off quickly, which you tend to get more in. concentrated areas with impermeable cover, like cities like Hartford, and those kinds of areas, you get so much concentrated runoff so quickly, it really overwhelms our systems. “

Dan: “So the US House of Representatives will pass an infrastructure finance bill this fall. And we learned that if that happened, Connecticut would use $ 445 million of its $ 6 billion for water infrastructure. So what do you think needs to be done? that the money be used? “

Kirchhoff: “That’s a great question. So, you know, I think we’ve seen where some of our weak spots are on the stormwater side. And I have to say that, you know, if you look at the report from the American Society of Civil Engineers for Connecticut, and really for states, across the country, states get pretty low marks in everything with infrastructure in general, whether you look at drinking water, storm water, wastewater, transportation, etc. So we need those dollars, so part of the strategy might be to start using more green mixed infrastructure and great inputs to leverage each other’s strengths. between them, and some of these types of options may be more profitable. ”

Dan: “So this is going to take some overall planning, but on a smaller scale now with the time we see and the infrastructure we have, is there anything homeowners can do to help clean the collector d? rainwater in front of their property? “

Kirchhoff: “And that’s one of the things I thought about, I’m on our own property, is seeing how the water flows around our own home. So if you’ve noticed a buildup of ‘water or water accumulating somewhere is a signal that you know because from what we have seen if you have managed to be well so far that might change in the future because you know your area might have been, you know, harder hit. you should pay attention to the location of these areas on your property and think about can i install a rain garden a rain barrel ? Can I, can I, you know, help divert that flow, capture some of it, use it for gardening, etc. And that helps every little bit. Such great advice. “