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New plan in Greece to deal with potential flooding

Shut-off valve and new piping installed in flood prone areas in Greece
Town of Greece
Shut-off valve and new piping installed in flood prone areas in Greece

Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich has a plan to ward off potential floodwaters this year.

He has commissioned the installation of new shut-off valves and piping, and the construction of berm in locations greatly impacted by high lake levels last year.

Reilich says research indicates that shut-off valves and new piping will be more effective than running pumps 24 hours a day like last year.

"We recognize that some of the water we were pumping was flowing in from the storm sewers.  The storm sewers, normally, are higher than the ponds.  They drain into the ponds, in this case the ponds and the channel between Long Pond and Lake Ontario were higher than the storm sewers.  So what was happening was the water was flowing into the storm sewers, flooding the roads," he said.

Once installed, DPW crews can close the valves, which he says will greatly reduce the need for pumps to help keep the roads dry.

Reilich also wants to build a new permanent berm structure in particularly vulnerable areas.

"Along one of the ponds down on Edgemere (Drive) near the Kodak Water Treatment plant.  That's where the pond overflowed its banks and just poured right into the streets.  And we had a good foot of water for about six weeks," he said.

The berm project still needs approval from the DEC, and the entire project will cost around $800 thousand dollars, which the town is taking out of its reserve fund.

Reilich says they'll be applying for a reimbursement from FEMA.

He adds residents in Greece along the lakeshore are very concerned about a possible repeat of last year.

Right now lake levels are higher than they were a year ago.