Flood & Erosion Control Board

Overview

Establishment of Municipal Flood and Erosion Control Boards

State Statute Sec. 25-84. Municipal flood and erosion control boards. Appointment of alternate members. (a) Any municipality may, by vote of its legislative body, adopt the provisions of this section and sections 25-85 to 25-94, inclusive, and exercise through a flood and erosion control board the powers granted thereunder. In each town, except as otherwise provided by special act, the flood and erosion control board shall consist of not less than five nor more than seven members, who shall be electors of such town and whose method of selection and terms of office shall be determined by local ordinance, except that in towns having a population of less than fifty thousand the selectmen may be empowered by such ordinance to act as such flood and erosion control board. In each city or borough, except as otherwise provided by special act, the board of aldermen, council or other board or authority having power to adopt ordinances for the government of such city or borough may act as such board. The flood and erosion control board of any town shall have jurisdiction over that part of the town outside any city or borough contained therein.

(b) Any town, city or borough shall have the power to provide by ordinance for the appointment or election of three alternate members to its flood and erosion control board. Such alternate members shall, when seated as herein provided, have all the powers and duties set forth for such board and its members. Such alternate members shall be electors of such town, city or borough. If a regular member of any of said board is absent or is disqualified, the chairman of the board shall designate an alternate to so act, choosing alternates in rotation so that they shall act as nearly equal a number of times as possible. If any alternate is not available in accordance with such rotation, such fact shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Sec. 25-85. Establishment of flood or erosion control system. Such board shall have authority, within the limits of appropriations from time to time made by the municipality, to plan, lay out, acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, maintain, supervise and manage a flood or erosion control system. As used in sections 25-84 to 25-94, inclusive, "flood or erosion control system" means any dike, berm, dam, piping, groin, jetty, sea wall, embankment, revetment, tide-gate, water storage area, ditch, drain or other structure or facility useful in preventing or ameliorating damage from floods or erosion, whether caused by fresh or salt water, or any dam forming a lake or pond that benefits abutting properties, and shall include any easements, rights-of-way and riparian rights which may be required in furtherance of any such system.