Bayside Residents Request Sewer Infrastructure Renovations

BAYSIDE, QUEENS – Hundreds of North Queens residents are asking for sewer infrastructure upgrades to prevent flooding and damage as the city is still in the midst of hurricane season.

The request was made through a Change.org petition two weeks ago and has reached 465 signatures through Monday.

“Our aging infrastructure is insufficient to handle heavy rainfall which has caused severe flooding and sewer backup into our homes,” reads the petition.

The ask is one of many requests from Queens residents to upgrade its infrastructure. Queens was hit hardest by flooding and storm damage by Hurricane Ida last year, which left dozens of people dead in four states.

Lawmakers have demanded money from the federal infrastructure bill passed last year to upgrade sewers and catch basins in Queens.

In September, Mayor Eric Adams said the city planned to add 2,000 additional rain gardens across the boroughs to reach a total of 11,000. Rain gardens, which hold up to 2,500 gallons of water, catch rain before it runs into the sewers and possibly overflows basements.