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Date: 7/25/2023
HATFIELD — July 16’s heavy thunderstorm engorged the Connecticut River and its tributaries, the Mill River among them. Existing measures to prevent flooding — and that stormwaters didn’t swell rivers as much as officially predicted—limited the damage to the loss of produce at local farms.
The town’s hazard mitigation plan, adopted in March 2022, suggests heavier storms, with minor flooding, are the new normal.
State Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) visited the Smiarowski Farm, which suffered the loss of fields of produce. That was the extent of damages caused by the storm. According to the town’s police and fire chiefs, the town saw no damage to roads and little disruption in travel due to high waters.
“We did not have any major issues. We did…put some barricades up to warn folks about Chestnut Street flooding on Sunday, and some on Dwight St. on Sunday as well,” Fire Chief Robert Flaherty said.
Flaherty said the Mill River did not cause problems, but that “the [Connecticut] River side” was flooded. Still, nothing came over the levee and only the produce fields were affected.
Police Chief Michael Dekoschak agreed. Travel was not impacted and drivers saw only minor difficulties on roadways. Dwight Street had water flowing across it, which Dekoschak said was due to a partially blocked storm drain. A culvert may also have been partially blocked; but otherwise the drainage infrastructure for the roadways in town was adequate.
“In terms of what we would deal with in the [Police Department], roads and like that, we had negligible [impacts] when it came to any type of flooding, streetwise or culvert-wise, or anything of that nature,” Dekoschak said.
A few inches of water collected in one home basement and was pumped out. Dekoschak commented that homeowners need most to be observant of what’s going on around their property. Sump pumps and other drainage equipment should be in good working order.
The police chief recommended residents prepare before the next storm event. Weather patterns cannot be influenced. When the land is saturated there will be problems because the ground cannot absorb more stormwater. Homeowners should pay attention to what happens on their property with each storm and that “it all comes down to common sense,” Dekoschak said.
One danger motorists should avoid is driving on flooded roads. Motorists, in that scenario, cannot know if the road has been undermined. Dekoschak said that could lead to a collapse of the roadway, with possibly catastrophic results.
“A situation like this is a prolonged event [and] there’s nothing you can do about it, except try to mitigate it,” Dekoschak said of a hard thunderstorm. “This is something that’s been talked about extensively.”
Drawn up by Town Administrator Marlene Michonski, Dekoschak, Flaherty and Dept. of Public Works Director Matthew Boucher, the HMP clarifies that stormwater events, floods and flash floods, are becoming more common.
On page 26 of the report a table documents 12 floods or flash floods in Hampshire County since 2015. None of the flooding, averaging one-and-a-half events per year, affected Hatfield. The frequency of events did send a message to town planners. Be prepared.
According to the HMP, climatologists predict climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of storms that cause flooding. Research also warns that rainfall is increasingly concentrated into severe events. The floods that may result also cause the most costly weather damages.
Adding to the increased risk of damage to infrastructure during extreme weather are the dams in Hatfield, and those on waterways entering the town, that have an elevated risk of compromise. Dam failures are rare, but the HMP lists four dams that, if a failure occurred among them, would cause severe impacts in the town. In the case of a dam failure, 5% of the real estate in the town would face potentially catastrophic damage, with exposed structures having a value of $20.4 million.
The condition of the privately owned Running Gutter Reservoir Dam is unknown. The D.F. Riley Grist Mill Dam, a remnant of the town’s industrialized past, has a hazard level of “significant”. Two dams outside the town borders, the Ryan Reservoir and Mountain Street Reservoir Dam, in Whately and Williamsburg respectively, are both described as “high hazard”.
The HMP recommends, in the event of an evacuation because of high stormwater, that residents choose North Hatfield Road, Chestnut Street, Depot Road and Main Street out of town. Michonski qualified that statement by noting that Chestnut Street has flooded in the past. Valley and South streets often see flooding in the adjacent fields, an indicator the roadway may be submerged during a major downfall.
Michonski said planning for future weather-related difficulties is ongoing, with the next effort coming next week when the Comprehensive Plan Committee meets next.
“The Comprehensive Plan Committee is working on developing a climate smart comprehensive plan,” Michonsky said. “It meets next week and the committee would like to address flooding. We have discussed having a tour to meet with farmers to discuss the recent rain and the problems it’s caused for farmers.”
In the meantime, water levels in local rivers have subsided. Dekoschak noted, however, that waterways did not reach previous high water marks.