LETTER: Look to cornfield for flood mitigation
July 13, 2024 | By Brian KravitzDear Town of Waterbury and State of Vermont,
Waterbury is a unique town along the Winooski River, in that we're not really built up on the river banks. We have a massive cornfield as a buffer.
Winooski River flood waters fill the cornfield on the left and reach the Randall Street neighborhood in Waterbury; taken on Thursday morning, July 11. Click to enlarge. Photo by Gordon Miller
After Irene there was a two-phase flood mitigation plan put forward to protect property. The state did phase 1, which worked wonderfully to protect the State Office Complex. As phase 2 required our cornfield and a piece of private land in Duxbury which they couldn't obtain, they scrapped phase 2 altogether. I believe a full phase 2 would lower flood waters in Waterbury by 12+ inches, and if it was only the cornfield, waters would be lowered by 8+ inches.
This is significant. Had waters been lowered by even 8 inches we wouldn't have had property damage in December or the other day.
I implore our local and state officials to look at the cornfield today. You'll see crushed corn along the perimeter, yet no damage to most of the middle. The field has a crown that is actually higher than properties along Randall Street.
Doing something with that cornfield will have a significantly positive effect on our town. At the same time it won't have negative impacts upstream, which is important. It's also very simple. They've been doing this type of mitigation since ancient Mesopotamia, and it works.
Please, state and town officials, stop prioritizing Monsanto robo-corn over our properties and vibrancy of our town. We have finally become a vibrant and desirable community, and unless something is done, all those gains will surely be diminished.
Brian Kravitz
Waterbury