Severe flooding at an intersection in Queens has surrounding homeowners wading through layers of bureaucracy. Susan Jhun filed the following NY1 for You report.
Resident David Lopez says the intersection at Dumont Avenue and Emerald Street in Howard Beach is "starting to look like waterfront property." Maybe a slight exaggeration, but not far off the mark, as the intersection is almost entirely covered by water.
"We have no drainage," Lopez said. "The sewers end like two blocks back in all directions."
Residents say it's been like this for years, and the water, which they believe is a combination of rain, ground and septic, never goes away.
Lopez says the city has been promising to put in a sewer for years, and still, this is what remains.
Right on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, Lopez says it's a battle between two boroughs to get funding. The frustrated homeowner argues even if there isn't money to build sewers now, there's still a temporary solution.
"If they would just elevate the street a little bit and pitch it toward the catch basins," he said.
NY1 for You reached out to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection. A DEP spokesman told us that the city's drainage system, catch basins and sewers rely on the power of gravity to move the stormwater that falls on streets and sidewalks. He went on to say that this intersection, and most of the nearby streets, are roughly eight feet below the closest sewer lines. Therefore, he said all the streets in this area must be raised up before a drainage system could be built and function properly.
When NY1 for You asked DOT about raising the street, a spokeswoman said the agency is aware of concerns in this area and is in touch with local stakeholders about the issues here, which would require an extensive interagency effort.
It's not promising for residents, who will continue to try and stay afloat.