3/31/2021 Rising water levels force property owner to abandon home Michael Mongeon stands in the backyard of his property at 199 Eddie Dowling Highway, where a swampy wetland has left him with few options for using the house. (Breeze photo by Lauren Clem) NORTH SMITHFIELD – When Michael Mongeon first bought the property at 199 Eddie Dowling Highway in 2010, he said, the backyard was a grassy area, and the tenants who lived there liked to play badminton outside. Since then, it’s become a swamp where cattails and other wetland vegetation have taken over the property right up to the back door. “When I got this property, the whole backyard was grass. Now, you can’t walk out there without sinking a foot into the mud,” he said during a visit to the home last week.