PORTLAND, Connecticut — In the small town of Portland, there is an urgent cry from residents. Their homes are sinking and they are calling on government officials to bail them out before it is too late.
There is supposed to be a beach surrounding Jobs Pond. It’s gone. The houses are supposed to have backyards. They are gone too.
Inch by precious inch, the town's pondside residents are pumping to save their property.
“I guess we have 11 pumps running now,” said Jeanne Bishop.
“I couldn’t keep up with the water,” added Roy Ivers.
Created by a glacier, Jobs Pond is fed by underground springs, storm runoff and culverts.
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“We shouldn’t be in this mess. This is not our fault,” said Bishop.
There is a lot of water sources coming into the pond with no exit. Flooding is the result.
“I’ve got five concrete blocks here height wise that I’ve had to raise the air conditioner,” demonstrated Ivers.
Ivers has lived on the pond for 15 years. He is retired, but his new full time job is keeping his retirement home afloat. So far, he’s losing the battle. There's 70 inches of water in his basement.
“We're moving out,” said Ivers. “We moved all the appliances out of the house. We are packing it up and moving it out figuring it’s going to hit the floorboards in another week.”
Devastation can be seen house by house, including submerged staircases, saturated sandbags and decks turned into docks.
“That’s a hill and goes down to a beach. Now it’s almost to the top of this patio,” said Bishop as she gave a tour of her property.
Bishop’s home has been in the family for five generations. Wondering if this will be the last, she said, “Sometimes I’m angry and sometimes I cry. It just depends on the day.”
All they can do is pump and wait.
“We’re waiting for one of the powers that be to say they will get rid of this water and then get us a long term fix. We need help but we can’t wait three months,” added Bishop.
“I just wish we could do something quicker,” said Portland First Selectman Ryan Curley.
Curley said the town is in close coordination with the state and federal government on a fix that could include pumping water out or installing an outflow culvert.
“I certainly know that time is of the essence for these residents. I’ve been down to the pond several times myself now and I’ve spoken with the residents and I share their concerns and I promise the town of Portland everything that we can,” said Curley.
The town has applied for grant money from the USDA Emergency Watershed Conservation Program and on Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is expected to tour the pond and meet with residents but by that time, the water will have risen another inch.
Curley said he has been told there is no state program available that would bring in any funding but that the town is collaborating with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Department of Public Health.
The last time the pond’s water level got this bad was back in 1984 when water had to be pumped out. The residents were told it would be a permanent fix but it was not.
Residents who remained in their home said they have had to cut off power for fear of being electrocuted and their septic systems have been flooded out.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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