Various storms and runoff from nearby areas caused the pond in Portland to swell with nowhere to drain.
Homeowners at Jobs Pond in Portland are continuing to deal with rising waters and are still waiting for help.
“I don’t know what a furnace costs, but I want to save it.”
Saving his electric furnace from rising waters is a tall task for Roy Ivers. Flooding from Jobs Pond is coming into his basement, causing Ivers to build a makeshift barrier.
“Do a layer one day. Two weeks later, do another layer. Now I’m doing another layer,” he said.
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Ivers said he’s never had to pump out this much water.
“This is the worst it’s ever been. Yeah, for me,” he said.
Other neighbors say this issue has gone on since the start of winter. The water line, 30 to 40 feet where it normally is.
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Various storms and runoff from nearby areas caused the pond to swell with nowhere to drain.
“If we get an inch or two of rain, it could come up eight inches here,” Veronica Ketch, president of the Job Pond Waterfront Corp., said.
State Representative Christie Carpino visited the pond with Portland First Selectman Ryan Curley recently. They say they’re working on getting help from the state and federal governments.
Neighbors say they’re in dire straits and need help as soon as possible, with some already moving out to avoid being flooded in.
“This is on the verge of a natural disaster,” Ketch said.
One solution would be pumping water out of the pond into the Connecticut River just like in 1984 when the pond had significant flooding. For now, neighbors like Ivers are using the pumps they have.
“Doing the best I can, you know? Trying to keep it above the water,” he said.
Even if the water does get pumped out, neighbors say they want to see long-term fixes like creating a way for the pond to drain if it ever swells again.
