Remember those days when we would talk about the need for “a good soaking rain”? Given recent events probably good and rain don’t go down well in the same sentence….
Here’s your National Weather Service in Burlington radar map. The Weather Channel has all sorts of alarming headlines like “Will It Flood Again?” But, frankly, the more local reality is that there are no severe weather alerts or warnings posted at this time. Rain, yes. Obviously not particularly welcome right now…but tapering off to boring old showers according to the NWS.
http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=cxx&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no
Speaking of H2O….for all the budding engineers out there….Woodstock Early Bird has had to learn about “coffer dams”. Woodstock has a coffer dam under the Elm Street Bridge. It was built, put in to help find that pesky end of the sewer pipe way under the river. Reports Wednesday are that a pokey sticky thing has in fact hit the flood-damaged pipe but, you see, it’s waay under water. The plan yesterday was to bring in bigger and better pumps to get the water out (while the river blithely continues rushing along) so that a fix can be made. Fact is Woodstock is still limited in its sewer system trucking “waste” from a River Street manhole and a West Woodstock sewer station. There is some talk of trying to “de-mob” the port-a-potties at the Middle and High School and hooking up the water again but no news yet on that plan. Town Manager Phil Swanson did have a meeting scheduled with Principal Greg Shillinger as parents in particular, and probably teachers and students as well, starting to feel the no-water, port-a-pottie situation is getting well, OLD!
More as we know it. While drinking water tanks (Woodstock Aqueduct) have been getting re-filled which is great news, there is still a need for conservation in case the high school and middle schools come back on line. We still are getting Woodstock Aqueduct water through a hose over the Elm Street Bridge. It should be a one to two-day pipe fix once the sewer main is finally found and replaced. Sewer needs to be fixed, then water line. Public health considerations, don’t you know….
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 