FAIRFIELD – First Selectperson Christine Vitale announced last week that an updated review of Fairfield’s Floodplain Management Plan is available for public review on the Town’s Plan and Zoning Department webpage under the Forms and Documents tab.
Fairfield’s flood reduction action items are located within MetroCOG’s multi-town Hazard Mitigation Plan, updated in August 2024, which is available here.
Town staff from multiple departments as well as the Town’s Flood Prevention, Climate Resilience, and Erosion Control Board (FERB) collaborated on the review effort of action items which include prevention, property protection, floodplain management regulations, structural and natural systems protection, education and awareness, and emergency management initiatives to help reduce Fairfield’s future flood risk, protect lives, and reduce property damage. Town Plan and Zoning staff presented the update to the Board of Selectpersons at their March 18 meeting.
The town has made progress on the following action items as part of the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan including:
- Riverside Drive Bridge and Turney Creek Tide Gate System completed and second tide gate on Riverside Drive is currently in design phase.
- Final draft of the Tidegate/Flood control inventory was completed and issued by the town consultant.
- Construction of the Fairchild Wheeler Country Club stormwater detention area is scheduled to begin this spring.
- Construction on the Tunxis Park detention area will begin in the summer of 2026.
- Construction of the East Trunk Line Sanitary Sewer project started in 2025.
- Perry’s Green Bulkhead repair was completed in 2025.
The Conservation Department has actively been acquiring tidal marshland properties to ensure that these are protected from development in perpetuity and are currently in the initial phase of restoring tidal marshlands at Reef Road.
The Town of Fairfield participates in FEMA’s voluntary Community Rating System, which awards a rating to communities that go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program flood plain management requirements. Fairfield’s floodplain management efforts result in a 10% discount for its 2,256 policyholders or approximately $418,147 in annual savings. Fairfield is only one of 13 communities in the state that currently participates in the program.
