Westchester Spending Millions To Prevent Flooding
WHITE PLAINS, NY (CBSNewYork) - Recent storms have devastated parts of Westchester County and now some money is being spent to actually prevent that flooding.
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You should see the faces on homeowners and detoured commuters when they are told that problem flooding areas are under study.
A real fix would likely cost $1 billion or more, but $9 million is a start on flood projects from New Rochelle and Larchmont to White Plains.
"We are sick and tired of the years and years of people saying 'We can't do it.' and we're saying we can. There are things we can do. So, let's do it and let's do it ourselves," said county executive Rob Astorino.
These are seven projects that can be waged with a minimum of state and federal red tape.
"It is our goal to identify, and we have, certain areas where we can clean up certain parts of the Bronx River, where we could stabilize the embankments. Some of this we're doing with the federal government and state government. But most of which we've identified, we're doing ourselves," said Astorino.
Four of them will be along the Bronx River.
In Mount Vernon and Yonkers, there is the rehabilitation of the Oak Street pump station rehabilitation with an estimated cost of between $450,000 and $500,000.
In Yonkers, Eastchester, and Scarsdale, there is the Bronx River channel re-alignment and bank stabilization at Garth Woods with an estimated cost of $1 million.
In Greenburgh, there is Fisher Lane and Bronx River Parkway storm water wetland restoration and stream bank stabilization which is expected to cost $700,000.
In Eastchester and Yonkers, there is Harney Road vicinity stream bank stabilization and channel modification - cost estimate to be determined.
In addition, there are two projects identified by local municipalities as priority flood-mitigation projects and proposed to the county for implementation with a local commitment to fund at least 50 percent of the total cost. The county will fund the balance.
In the village of Larchmont, there are drainage improvements along Pine Brook at the Boston Post Road (Route 1) crossing - cost estimate to county: $2.3 million.
In the city of New Rochelle, there is the Hutchinson River culvert replacement - cost estimate to county: $2.5 million.
Finally, one additional project that the county is undertaking is the replacement of a sewer line on Anita Lane in the village of Mamaroneck. The removal of the center support structure currently in the river will contribute to flood mitigation. The cost estimate there is $2 million.
$9 million does not come with any promise the flooding will never return, but it will help.
