Rachel Roth, a resident of Chandler Street, East Arlington, submitted this letter to the editor:
On July 9, after the rain stopped, I went for a walk in nearby Acorn Park, near Arlington. The Little River was level with the land and overflowing in places. The pond in the park was higher than I had ever seen it. All around, inches-deep puddles of water sat on top of the saturated ground.
I noticed similarly high levels of water along the wooden boardwalk near the dog park and Route 2.
Waiting for me at home was an email from the Town alerting residents to sewer backups in East Arlington as a result of the storm, and encouraging us to check our basements.
These events are reminders that we need to take flooding seriously when considering applications to build in wetlands or areas adjacent to wetlands. Last month was the hottest June on record. The climate is changing. If FEMA redrew its flood maps tomorrow, how would the proposed development site fare? We need our wetlands.
This letter was published Monday, July 12, 2021.
