By Juan Soto
Some southeast Queens residents, especially around St. Albans, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens, get the chills every time thunderstorms are looming.
Heavy rain, to them, basically means flooding in their homes, lawns and streets.
E. Thomas Oliver, a Laurelton resident for more than 40 years, basically had to pump water out of his basement “24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Rain was bad news.
Thomas added that when it rained, he like his neighbors had to move their cars to higher ground. “I lost a brand new car to flooding. That time the water was up to the hood of the car,” he said. “Every time it rained, I got water in my basement, and the neighborhood looked like a lake.”
To tackle this chronic problem, the city Department of Environmental Protection started work a few years ago to upgrade the sewer system, a targeted solution designed with the collaboration of Empowered Queens United in Action and Leadership.
Thomas is a leader of the group, and he pointed out that the city agency has initiated “three of the five well-thought strategies that we designed and documented.”
In his case, the floods are finally gone, but not before DEP cleaned catch basins filled with debris.
Now the city agency has begun working on a project to install storm sewers and catch basins at 119th Avenue between 192nd and 195th streets in St. Albans. According to DEP, the infrastructure will cost $1 million and should be completed by this fall.
“We are pleased to collaborate with EQUAL on these important projects that will bring new storm sewers to reduce chronic flooding,” DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd.
She pointed out that there is a $380 million project to build a sewer system throughout southeast Queens over the next 10 years.
City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) said the area has been demanding such a system for decades.
“This current project serves as hope for the other local communities in southeast Queens waiting for their turn to get such relief,” added Richards.
Besides construction along 119th Avenue, DEP upgraded the sewer system along 111th Avenue between 155th and 158th streets and on 113th Avenue between 156th and 157th streets.
DEP’s capital project includes a $175 million Springfield Gardens upgrade that will come with an additional 9 miles of storm sewers and 8 miles of sanitary sewers.
“While Noah’s flood lasted for 40 days, our flooding has been going on for more than 40 years,” Keisha Phillips-Kong from EQUAL said. “Even a minor rainstorm causes water to rise in our basements, yards and streets.”
Phillips-Kong added that “we welcome DEP’s recent actions.”
She said some residents “bought canoes so they can paddle to higher ground when the rains arrive.”
Reach reporter Juan Soto by email at jsoto@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
