The water on Jobs Pond has dropped more than two feet since pumps were installed over a week ago.
Monday, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Portland First Selectman Ryan Curley made a visit to see the progress for themselves. The residents thanked them for their efforts in securing state and federal money for the pumps and expediting installation.
“This is our little bit of heaven down here, so it’s nice that everything is going in the right direction and we can enjoy it again,” said Jeanne Bishop.
Bishop, whose home is surrounded by water at the edge of the pond, had 14 sump pumps working at once. Now, she’s been able to unplug them as the water recedes.
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“You couldn’t walk around the house without your boots on because of all of the water,” she said. “We’re getting back to normal, which is wonderful.”
Now, the 38 families impacted will start the cleanup process.
Bishop is dealing with mold in her basement. Others, like Roy Ivers, have to gut their homes.
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“Our hardwood floors are damaged,” Ivers said. “The water got up to the floorboards. They’re gonna have to actually remove the counters and base cabinet to replace the hardwood floor.”
Water filled his basement to the top, higher than six feet, and the moisture damaged the first floor of his home.
“It’s pretty devastating because less than 10 years ago we had the house basically 100 percent remodeled,” Ivers said.
When the pumps were installed over a week ago, the residents met for a celebratory picnic. Many are older, and these homes were meant to be their retirement retreats. But the situation caused them a great deal of stress for the last six months.
“It was relief. Everybody felt a total relief,” Bishop added. “My husband didn’t sleep for a couple months probably. But we made it through, we all made it through, and if they can find a permanent fix, that would be wonderful because none of us want to do this again.”
Curley said the Natural Resources Conservation Service is working on that long-term fix.
“The one idea that I’ve heard from NRCS is some type of culvert or underground pipe that would go from the pond to potentially the Connecticut River,” Curley explained. “So that should the water level rise to a certain height, that the excess water would be filtered out and drawn out into the river.”
It could take years, but residents hope for action so that future generations of their families won’t have to deal with this.
“They are going to be studying that and looking at multiple solutions, so we’re encouraged,” Curley said. “There’s definitely ways to fix this.”
