Will town bail out flood victims?

Groundwater seeping into Willow Pond has made Dogwood Lane a road to nowhere, or so it appeared on Wednesday morning. The Town Board is considering whether to pump this and other flood areas and may take action this week.

To pump or not to pump, that is the question the Town Board is considering after Highway Superintendent Mark Ketcham, his family and a neighbor appealed to the board to do something about a water table that cannot stay below the ground surface.


At Tuesday’s work session, Mr. Ketcham suggested that Shelter Island follow the lead of other East End towns in dealing with flooding after record rains fell two weeks ago — pump down the standing water and discharge it to nearby tidal creeks or inland areas that won’t impact other private properties.


Long after the 36-hour rainstorm that dumped 7 inches of water onto the Island, groundwater is still moving up and levels continued to rise, flooding basements and driveways of residential property in low-lying areas. On Tuesday, Mr. Ketcham proposed pumping out the hardest hit locations: Congdon Road, the Dogwood Lane cul-de-sac, Westmoreland Drive and Brander Parkway. But by Wednesday morning, ponding on Westmoreland Drive and Brander Parkway was receding and dry stretches of road were exposed. Exact locations where water pumped by the town would be discharged have yet to be determined and may include some inland areas.


Town Board members expressed concerns about the environmental impacts of dumping freshwater into tidal areas and any liability should private properties be impacted by moving the water. Ed Brown suggested the formation of an informal committee of town officials to contact experts and the Department of Environmental Conservation about potential impacts and come up with an action plan.


“I’d like to try something on Shelter Island,” Mr. Ketcham said, to mitigate “the undue suffering” to owners of flooded houses. He said that some houses in Silver Beach have been abandoned due to flood damage. As of Tuesday, approximately 60 homeowners had contacted the Shelter Island Police Department about flood damage, Police Chief James Read said.


The most plaintive appeal to the board came from John Ketcham, Mr. Ketcham’s son, who wanted action, not consultation. “Why do you need an expert and a committee?” he asked repeatedly. He also questioned what would happen if there was an emergency at his Congdon Road house — the driveway is under almost two feet of water. Chief Read assured him that the Police and Fire departments have made provisions for reaching stranded houses.


“The water in front of my house went up another 1/4 inch last night,” Congdon Road resident John Kerr said. Although the rains stopped long ago, water continues to move beneath the ground’s surface to low lying areas. He added, “I’m ready to move out myself.” If private property damage is not enough to compel action, Mr. Kerr advised the board to think about public health risks from mosquitoes and overflowing septic tanks.
Southampton has been pumping for weeks, he said. “They’re not worried about polluting; they’re worried about saving homes.”


Mr. Ketcham had no totals for the cost of lowering pond levels but said that operating costs would be at least $1,000 per day. “I’m not talking about a little water, I’m talking about a million [gallons] plus a day for 5 days.”


Discussions with stormwater consultant Walter Bundy and Riverhead officials armed the town with more information after the work session. 


According to information provided to the local officials, Riverhead Town pumped Horton Avenue for over two weeks at a cost of $48,000 and lowered flood waters (part stormwater, part groundwater) by 3 feet. The water was discharged onto a farm field with the cooperation of the DEC. The pumping brought relief to 9 of 13 flooded houses. Southampton Town has also pumped roadways, directing discharge into storm drains. The contention that Southampton is pumping freshwater overboard into the ocean could not be confirmed.


The “de facto committee” is meeting at 3 p.m. today, Thursday, to review the pros and cons and recommend a plan of action, Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty said Wednesday. “If the recommendation is strong enough, the Town Board is ready to take action on Friday,” he said.