Middle Village and Maspeth residents will wave goodbye to water woes a year ahead of schedule.
A pair of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) capital projects to help alleviate constant flooding in the neighboring communities was moved up after several discussions with Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley. The first upgrade along Calamus Avenue is scheduled to begin construction next summer, with the other job under Penelope Avenue planned for the following spring, a year earlier than originally planned. Surveying for the projects has already begun.
Crowley’s calls for the DEP to investigate the causes behind the flooding picked up after a pair of summer storms flooded dozens of homes in the area.
“The storms in August and September showed that this area’s sewers are not equipped to handle major storms. It was simply unacceptable to ask residents to continue waiting before something was done,” said Crowley.
Under Calamus Avenue an additional 6-foot-by-8-foot pipe will be added in the $15 million project, according to a DEP official. New sewer mains and catch basins will be installed under Penelope Avenue and will cost $7 million. The flooding fixes will each take about a year to complete and will increase the system’s capacity by 80 percent.
Glendale residents who have also faced flood waters filling their homes will have to wait a little longer for relief.
“With the Glendale area, there isn’t a quick fix just yet,” Crowley said.
An investigation into the Glendale flooding and discussions regarding a solution are ongoing, said a DEP official.
Additional solutions to reduce the deluge of rainfall into the sewers are also being considered, according to Crowley’s office, including additional catch basins, green space and permeable surfaces.
