Millbrook residents ask Greenwich to fund and convene flood study, warn Route 1 bridge plan could shift flooding

Residents from the Millbrook neighborhood presented to the Board of Selectmen on Sept. 10 asking the town to fund a full hydraulic flood study for the reach south of Post Road and to convene stakeholders including town DPW, Connecticut DOT and the Millbrook Owners Association. Scott Roth described repeated flooding, structural vulnerabilities and what he called gaps in prior modeling: "We want another full reach study, you know, that includes our neighborhood and not something to use Bridal or approximations," Roth said.

Roth and others said the town and state have used different flow assumptions in prior studies (FEMA, town, CDM Smith and state figures varied in cubic feet per second), and they criticized earlier modeling extents that stopped roughly 1,000 feet downstream from the bridge. Roth warned the state's proposed bridge work — raising the road about three feet and enlarging the opening fourfold in some designs — could reduce flooding north of Post Road while pushing flows downstream into Millbrook. "And that would certainly solve flooding north of the post road, but we're afraid that it pushed flooding in our community," he said.

Town staff responded that the town has provided data to the state over many years and that the bridge project is currently on hold while the state works on drainage questions; staff offered to re-engage state teams and pass resident concerns to the appropriate people. Residents requested that the town consider using CDM Smith (which has conducted prior studies for the town) or another third party to perform on-the-ground measurements (channel beds, sediment, flow meters) and to convene stakeholders before major construction proceeds.

No formal vote was taken. Board members thanked presenters and asked staff to follow up with the state and report back on possibilities for a joint or town-funded study.