Clarkstown Seeing Results of Drainage Projects

When big rain storms like the one that hit Clarkstown on Sunday take place, town Supervisor Alex Gromack can't help but thinking back to a time three or four years ago when his office would have been inundated with calls for help.

"We used to get hundreds of calls with a storm like this," said Gromack, who explains that $16 million worth of drainage and flood control projects in recent years are paying off for Clarkstown residents.

On Sunday, Clarkstown received about 25 calls from people reporting a variety of storm-related problems, such as clogged catch basins or homes getting some water in the basement.

"After four years, it's gratifying to see the projects we did worked and are providing residents relief," Gromack said. "That's the nice part of what we did. Residents really lived in fear. They couldn't go to bed without worry about waking up in the morning and having a basement filled with water."

Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Wayne Ballard said his department did not face any significant clean up problems as a result of the storm. The New City Fire Department responded to several storm-related calls during Sunday, but firefighters said they did not see any major flooding.

Although homeowners and businesses were not severely affected by the storm, Clarkstown is having to clean up its Lake Nanuet park, where Sunday's downpour send dirt and debris into the town pool there and left areas near the pool a muddy mess. The town has decided to close the pool for the rest of the season because of the necessary clean up.

Residents, however, can still use the town's pools at Germonds Park and Congers Lake.