Mary Capobianco is glad that nine porch steps precede the first floor of her Owen St. house and that she has a truck as well as a Chevy Malibu sedan. Otherwise, she said, when heavy rains fall in Port Jervis, water would lap over her doorstep, and she would be unable to drive on her flooded street.
“When it rains heavily for an hour, water comes over the sidewalk and up the driveway,” she said.
She recalled how her son-in-law walked through knee-deep water to get to his truck after her Fourth of July party this year. Passing cars make waves that whoosh the deep water toward houses on several Fourth Ward streets. Recent rainy weeks compelled many residents, including some who have tolerated flooding for decades, to sign a petition demanding that city officials take action to remedy the problem.
“With global warming causing more frequent storms, the storm water road deterioration is getting more hazardous. The water is getting closer to me, but so far I’ve been lucky,” said Frank Steffen, an environmental technician who lives on Franklin St.
He pointed out a hole in the road next to a storm drain grate that he said resulted from water running under the road because the storm water system is too small. The city added a pipe, but it too lacked enough capacity to have much effect, Steffen said.
“The federal infrastructure bill is coming. The city needs to be ready with an engineer’s report,” he said.
Mayor Kelly Decker agreed that an engineering assessment is needed and said that the Port Jervis Community Development Agency is pursuing grants for that purpose. He noted that other areas of the city, such as Reservoir Ave., also flood with heavy rain.
Even the Department of Public Works lunchroom has gotten up to four inches of water, according to Valerie Maginsky, CDA director. But she outlined a process to remedy the situation that could be lengthy. The solution would be part of a “plan of action” for the whole city.
To fund the planning, she is now applying for a NYS/Department of State Local Waterfront Revitalization Planning grant for $100,000, which would include 85% grant money and 15% matching funds..
“Similar to the Comprehensive Plan process, a committee would be formed, a consultant hired, and public input sessions held,” she said. “As Port Jervis is considered wholly waterfront, a completed plan would cover the entire city. The plan is complementary to the Comprehensive Plan and would specifically identify goals and objectives for land and water use, mitigation, and economic development.”
The policies in the plan, requiring state approval, would guide use and development.
“They may be updated at any time and, like the Comprehensive Plan, should be updated every five-years,” she said. “With the increase in heavy rainfall alternating with drought conditions, the city needs to plan for emergency responses and continued services, all while economic development projects come on-line.”
She anticipates that the LWRP would qualify the city for substantial grant money, as did an inflow and infiltration study done four years ago that led to $1,750,000 in infrastructure grants.
“LWRP will provide the foundation for many future grant applications in a number of areas, including green infrastructure and recreational economic development,” Maginsky said.
The LWRP grant application is due on July 30, but asked when flooding issues might be remedied, neither Maginsky nor Decker would hazard a guess.
Fourth Ward resident Frank Geffen, an environmental technician, said that a hole in Ownen St. likely resulted from flooding under the pavement.
How about the homeowners in the acre ? The drains backup over here to to the point the water comes in my basement , the reason I have to pay very high flood insurance which is getting so costly I will end up selling my home .Who cares !!!
Frank Steffen ~ I am a Environmental Technician 3 (Retired) from Veolia Environmental - Technical Solutions Div. This link describes my background.