Flood Reconstruction – Farmington NH

Description

The 1936 Annual Report of the Town of Farmington N.H. reported the following WPA flood recovery projects:

The year started out most discouragingly with the disastrous floods of March 12th and 19th, 1936. An idea of the damage done at that time may be had from the following figures covering the cost of repairs. Using figures furnished us by the State Highway Department the net expenditure by the town (1/8 of 1 per cent of our valuation as required by special act of the legislature) was:

Town expenditure:  $2,471.64
State expenditure:   $1,488.47
Total:                          $3,960.11

To this should be added W. P. A. payrolls for “Flood Control Project No. 614”, $1,381.21, and truck contracts entered into by W. P. A. with local truck owners in the amount of $1,190.00, making a total cost of $6,531.31.

There should be added to the above the cost to date of the reconstruction of the filtration system at the sewage disposal plant. While this cost is not a true measure of the real “flood damage” (inasmuch as the new system is much larger and more complete than the old one) the undertaking was made imperative as a result of the floods.

The town’s contribution to this project to Jan. 31, 1936:     $670.02
W. P. A. payrolls to Feb. 10:                                                    $2,353.20
Total:                                                                                            $3,023.22

(In addition to this is the cost of materials, drain tile, brick, cement manhole and manhole cover) [sic] assumed by W. P. A. for which we have not the exact figures)
The aggregate of the above expenditures is $9,554.53.

Had not state and federal funds been made available to assist in making these repairs we should have been confronted with an almost impossible situation.