River Flooding at Thirteen Feet; Crest at Sixteen Feet Expected At 9 PM

Dan Cronin has had quite a first year in his owning and management of the Mattabassett Canoe Club,  formerly known as Harbor Park.  His business partner passed away shortly after they leased the building.  A strong spring freshet flooded the restaurant days before opening day on Easter weekend, and now, just days before an expected busy holiday weekend, flooding from tropical storm Irene has the Connecticut River at flood stage.

"Three days before the Labor Day weekend," Cronin said Tuesday morning.  "The timing couldn't have been worse."

Cronin conceded that restaurant owners along the river in Vermont had it worse.

"Someone's always got it worse," he said.  "We'll work through this, and maybe even get open for a day this weekend."

Middletown Environmental Resource James Sipperly, who was standing along a flooded River Road, by the restaurant said that the river was at about 13 feet above flood stage, and would probably rise another 3 feet.

Water and sewer department director, Guy Russo said that some wells along River Road would be underwater, but that they had already been shut down and are not connected to the city's water system during the flood.

"The water out of the faucet throughout the hurricane has been more pure than any bottled water you can buy," Russo said.

He also indicated that the River Road sewer plant would not likely be flooded during this event.