FARMINGTON — Another 10 feet of banking along the Sandy River has eroded since last fall, leaving just 40 feet to the pavement of the Whittier Road near the intersection with Route 156.
Selectmen briefly discussed the potential expense for more emergency measures to address the erosion Tuesday, Denis Castonguay, Public Works director said Wednesday.
Town leaders were concerned that recent rains “might cause the slope to kick out at the bottom, causing even more erosion. We had hoped to address this with emergency measures, specifically stone riprap,” Town Manager Richard Davis said Wednesday.
There was no cost suggested and the board took no action.
The town “was advised by our Maine Municipal Association rep that the work could change the scope of the project and jeopardize our application for a (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant,” Davis said.
The town is awaiting word on a $235,000 FEMA grant application before starting work on the bank, Castonguay said. That word is expected within the next couple weeks. FEMA representatives from Boston inspected the site within the last 10 days.
“If the grant is not approved, we may have to wait for the road to fail so that we can receive a disaster declaration such as Chesterville did on the George Thomas Road,” Davis said. The town has no funding to deal with this problem, he added.
“The bank erosion is getting closer to the road but it’s not dangerous. The public is not at risk. It’s being monitored daily,” Castonguay said. “There’s 40 feet left to the paved road as measured (Tuesday).”
The Police Department, Franklin County Emergency Management, the fire chief and town manager are joining Castonguay in keeping an eye on it, he said.
“If it gets to a certain point, we’ll close the road. It may come to that decision,” he said. “The factor that will determine closing the road is whether the public is at risk.”
It’s been a heavy weight on the shoulders of town leaders since last fall, he said. Erosion increased after heavy rains and a tropical storm last year.
The bank is unstable and could jeopardize that portion of Whittier Road without some work, Castonguay said last October before meeting with selectmen to discuss how to deal with the quick dropping of the riverbank, then within 50 feet from the road.
While rain on Wednesday could make the river level rise, it’s not a hard flow, he said. The erosion depends on the type of rainstorm that occurs, recent ones like the last two rain events take a toll, he said.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- A riverside section on Whittier Road in Farmington is posted as erosion along the Sandy River continues to take more of the riverbank. Near the road’s intersection with Route 156, the river is seen beyond a sharp drop of the bank posted with emergency tape. The road is being monitored daily to ensure its safety.
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- Bank erosion along the Sandy River is causing the river to creep closer to the Whittier Road as viewed from Route 156 in Farmington. Conditions are being monitored daily to ensure public safety on the Whittier Road, Public Works Director Denis Castonguay said Wednesday.
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- Bank erosion along the Sandy River is causing the river to creep closer to the Whittier Road as viewed from Route 156 in Farmington. Conditions are being monitored daily to ensure public safety on the Whittier Road, Public Works Director Denis Castonguay said Wednesday.
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