Officials respond to flooded Barrington Middle School field

Standing water following Friday's storm is 'nothing out of the ordinary,' says official

School officials say the flooded field at Barrington Middle School — the future site of the new middle school building — was to be expected following the rain storm on Friday. "We concluded that nothing appears out of the ordinary for a heavy rain event, at this location," wrote KBA architect Larry Trim. "Fields typically drain slower than roads and buildings."

EastBayRI.com · Wednesday, January 17, 2018 5:00 pm

The site of the future Barrington Middle School was covered with a large puddle on Saturday morning, following a significant rain storm. Larry Trim, of the Kaestle Boos architecture firm, said the standing water was nothing out of the ordinary.

"The standing water is likely attributed to the heavy rainfall, snow melt, frost conditions and the existing topography," said Mr. Trim. "The field under-drainage system typically result in longer retention times of stormwater."

Mr. Trim said the design for the new middle school does not include a basement, and the site was raised about three feet.

"The site stormwater management system meets the latest state guidelines and standards, which are stricter than the requirements under which the existing fields were developed," added Mr. Trim. "The site plans and proposed stormwater management system have been approved by the RIDEM and CRMC."