Resident fears fallen trees could cause flooding

NORWICH – After being forced from his home twice in three years by flood waters, at least one west side resident would rather be safe than sorry – again.

“We don’t want to take any chances,” says Charlie Berry, who lives just a few feet from the Canasawacta Creek.

Specifically, Berry is asking that the City of Norwich clear out fallen trees from the creek near the Red Mill Hill bridge. He fears the trees could come loose and pile up in the stream this winter, create an natural dam, and cause flooding when the snow and ice melts in the spring.

“If they ignore this, it could put a lot of people in peril again,” Berry said. “We’re all a little paranoid right now, but if it does dam-up, it could be a catastrophe.”

Berry said if nothing was done, he planned to circulate a petition in his neighborhood that supports filing a class-action lawsuit if the trees do prove to cause more flooding at a later date.

City of Norwich Public Works Superintendent Carl Ivarson said Tuesday that there was no more work scheduled to be done in the creek this year. The city removed the Canasawacta Creek dam earlier this past June after a group of west side residents claimed it caused the flooding in June 2006.