Barricades May Stem Stone Harbor Flooding

STONE HARBOR – As the remnants of Hurricane Jose began to batter beaches, the officials and residents of Stone Harbor knew that the evening’s high tide would bring bay flooding Sept. 19.
Jonathan LaKose, who heads the borough Office of Emergency Management, said flooding was a certainty. “We would not know how much until we see the amount of rain that accompanies the high tide,” he said.
That frequent bay flooding is of particular concern for the merchants along Third Avenue between 95th and 96th streets.
A depression in the contour of the street means more water accumulation. Passing vehicles think speed is the answer to standing water and produce waves that make the threat to the businesses greater.
The borough does move to close the street in those circumstances using Public Works trucks or will station police vehicles to prevent traffic on that small stretch of road in the business district.
Such actions are not timely enough and tie up manpower and resources needed elsewhere.
Solution: Flood Gates
LaKose presented borough council with a plan for installing four flood gates, two at 95th and two at 96th where the streets intersect Third Avenue.
The gates, much like wooden crossing arms that move down when the 96th Street Bridge is opening, would be 12 feet long so that two, one on each side of the street, would produce a 24-foot barrier across the intersection essentially closing the street to traffic for the duration of a flood.
Lowering the gates would be a simple matter, LaKose said, and so they make a timely response to a flood possible. “It gives some relief to the business in the area,” LaKose added.
Council member Joselyn Rich expressed concern about the aesthetics of the gates. While LaKose was presenting a concept, Rich was urging that the council not act without specifics of where the gates would be located and what exact model would be used.
The gates are seen as a temporary solution. Flood mitigation efforts in the borough call for a new pump station for the impacted business area.
The drains in the area work using gravity to move water to outlets that may be automatically closed by the pressure of a rising tide. The proposed pumps would move the draining water out of the street.
The plan calls for the new pump station to be in operation within two years.
As for the gates, the council will decide on LaKose’s information for the model and placement.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.