Crews to pump out water from Jobs Pond in Portland

PORTLAND, Conn. (WTNH) – Families living on Jobs Pond in Portland will soon see water levels return to normal once crews start pumping the pond this weekend.

It comes after heavy rain flooded the pond in April, leading to evacuations and thousands of dollars in damages.

“We’ve missed a spring, we’ve missed a summer,” said Jeanne Bishop, a neighbor who lives on Jobs Pond. “Thankfully, the pumping is starting.”

Construction crews lined up pipes on Monday morning to pump groundwater out of the pond into the Connecticut River at YMCA Camp Ingersoll. The cost of the project is covered by $187,500 from the state and $562,500 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“There is going to be one pump running at all times, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for about a month,” said Ryan Curley, (R) Portland’s first selectman.

Curley said pumping will begin this weekend and will continue for three to four weeks.

When the flooding was at its worst, Bishop said she had 14 pumps running to get the water out. Now, she’s running only two pumps 24/7, but the cost of doing so adds up. Bishop said her electric bill has reached over a $1,000 dollars each month since April.

“We usually have a hundred dollar bill a month,” she said. “So, we’ve spent thousands in Eversource bills.”

Bishop is grateful the water will recede soon, and she can turn off her pumps. But, she and other neighbors worry flooding could return.

Curley said he in communication with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to start working on a permanent fix to keep the pond at a normal water level all year round.

Veronica Ketch, president of the Jobs Pond Waterfront Corporation, is looking forward to that long-term solution.

“It’s peace of mind knowing that there will be control when we do have those storms that are dumping seven, eight, 10 inches of rain, and everything that’s coming above us is coming down into here,” she said.

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