Over the following 90 days, I did exactly what engineers do when they cannot win a legal argument but refuse to panic. I documented everything.
I filed formal written warnings of the anticipated downstream flood with every entity that had jurisdictional interest in the valley. I sent certified letters with return receipts to the State Agency of Natural Resources, the County Emergency Management Office, the Town Select Board, FEMA’s regional office, and the Cascade Meadows Estates HOA board itself.
Each letter included my 283-page environmental assessment, my daughter’s hydrological models, and a plain-language summary stating that the court-ordered removal of the dam would flood the subdivision.
I received 17 form letters acknowledging receipt. The Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources, a former colleague of mine, wrote me a personal note back: “Rowan, I have flagged the file internally. When this breaks, we will move fast. Take care of your family.”
