Islip Town to spend $6M to improve flood-prone areas
Residents of Eaton Lane in West Islip say their area is prone to chronic flooding. Credit: Karen Berger
Islip will spend nearly $6 million in federal funds to address chronic flooding on Eaton Lane in West Islip and other flood-prone areas in the town.
The town said it plans to replace the bulkhead at the southern end of Eaton Lane by the Great South Bay and install a new upgraded pump on the street, where several neighbors have described rainy days that trap them in their homes.
Other projects will include the installation of a new upgraded pump and generator at both Ocean Avenue in Bay Shore and Browns River Road in Sayville, other “long-standing, highly flood-prone areas,” town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said. The town has allocated $1.7 million from $47,551,642 granted to the Town of Islip through the American Rescue Plan Act for the projects.
The town, which escaped significant damage from a summer storm that wreaked havoc on the North Shore, will work with its planning and engineering departments "to increase our amount of storm drains and maintenance of our low-lying communities" in the town, Smith said.
“Unfortunately, it is a very challenging battle as sea levels rise and more storms seem imminent,” she added.
The town also allocated $4.25 million in ARPA funds to purchase 10 street sweepers and two sewer cleaning trucks.
Congress approved ARPA in 2021 to help mitigate economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distributed funds must be used to replace lost revenue, address public health issues, provide premium pay for essential workers or boost infrastructure. Money must be allocated by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026. Unused funds will return to the federal government.
Earlier this summer, three Eaton Lane residents approached Islip’s town board at a meeting to seek help for chronic flooding on the southern portion of the street, which has grown worse in recent years.
Residents have peppered officials at all levels of government for help for nearly a decade, Newsday previously reported, describing rising waters that have destroyed cars and forced neighbors to miss important appointments and days of work.
Town officials previously said they are seeking "assistance" and "direct involvement" from the Army Corps of Engineers to assess potential solutions.
The Army Corps has sent representatives to the street to evaluate conditions, the federal agency had previously confirmed. There have been no updates since then, Army Corps spokesman James D'Ambrosio said Thursday.
Experts say the flooding faced by Eaton Lane and other areas across Long Island are fueled by an increase in rainfall caused by climate change and sea-level rise.
“For those that are near the coastline and are vulnerable to coastline flooding, it’s only going to get worse,” said Jase Bernhardt, a meteorologist and director of the graduate-level sustainability program at Hofstra University.
“Because we've developed so much of these, what we call impermeable surfaces,” such as roads and sidewalks, “we've also increased the risk of flooding that way,” he added. “Our landscape is our best defense.”
State data estimates sea levels around Long Island will rise 13 to 25 inches over the next 25 years and as much as 69 inches by 2100, Newsday has reported. The rising water is expected to reshape shorelines and disrupt basic infrastructure, from roadways to the electrical grid.
An analysis of federal data from NextLI, a Newsday initiative that publishes research relevant to Long Island, indicates that flooding could pass north of Eaton Lane to parts of Montauk Highway by 2050.
Nancy Carey, 74, who lives on the northern portion of Eaton Lane — which, she said, doesn’t struggle with chronic flooding the way neighbors south of Magoun Road do — questioned why other nearby flood-prone areas, such as West Sequams Lane, were overlooked.
She also said the town already installed a “much bigger” pump on Eaton Lane about two years ago, and asked why it needs to be replaced.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
Rob Walsh, 43, an Eaton Lane resident who lives south of Magoun Road, echoed similar concerns. He described the existing pump as "state of the art."
“I’m not understanding if that has to get replaced again? Or if they’re adding onto that maybe?” Walsh said.
The town did not answer questions about the pump when asked for more information.
"We look at flood mitigation projects in their totality and address the areas of most concern first," Smith said.
While the newly approved flood mitigation measures are a good start, Walsh said, they aren’t enough.
“The street gets filled with water from regular rainfall,” he said. The drainage system "needs to be completely relooked at. It’s archaic.”
Tom Connors, 36, another resident who lives south of Magoun on Eaton Lane, also said the town needs to address drainage on the street.
The newly passed measures are "a step in the right direction," but not "by any means done," he said. "We still need help with other things like raising the road and fixing the drainage system."
Islip will spend nearly $6 million in federal funds to address chronic flooding on Eaton Lane in West Islip and other flood-prone areas in the town.
The town said it plans to replace the bulkhead at the southern end of Eaton Lane by the Great South Bay and install a new upgraded pump on the street, where several neighbors have described rainy days that trap them in their homes.
Other projects will include the installation of a new upgraded pump and generator at both Ocean Avenue in Bay Shore and Browns River Road in Sayville, other “long-standing, highly flood-prone areas,” town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said. The town has allocated $1.7 million from $47,551,642 granted to the Town of Islip through the American Rescue Plan Act for the projects.
The town, which escaped significant damage from a summer storm that wreaked havoc on the North Shore, will work with its planning and engineering departments "to increase our amount of storm drains and maintenance of our low-lying communities" in the town, Smith said.
“Unfortunately, it is a very challenging battle as sea levels rise and more storms seem imminent,” she added.
The town also allocated $4.25 million in ARPA funds to purchase 10 street sweepers and two sewer cleaning trucks.
Congress approved ARPA in 2021 to help mitigate economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distributed funds must be used to replace lost revenue, address public health issues, provide premium pay for essential workers or boost infrastructure. Money must be allocated by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026. Unused funds will return to the federal government.
Earlier this summer, three Eaton Lane residents approached Islip’s town board at a meeting to seek help for chronic flooding on the southern portion of the street, which has grown worse in recent years.
Residents have peppered officials at all levels of government for help for nearly a decade, Newsday previously reported, describing rising waters that have destroyed cars and forced neighbors to miss important appointments and days of work.
Town officials previously said they are seeking "assistance" and "direct involvement" from the Army Corps of Engineers to assess potential solutions.
The Army Corps has sent representatives to the street to evaluate conditions, the federal agency had previously confirmed. There have been no updates since then, Army Corps spokesman James D'Ambrosio said Thursday.
Experts say the flooding faced by Eaton Lane and other areas across Long Island are fueled by an increase in rainfall caused by climate change and sea-level rise.
“For those that are near the coastline and are vulnerable to coastline flooding, it’s only going to get worse,” said Jase Bernhardt, a meteorologist and director of the graduate-level sustainability program at Hofstra University.
“Because we've developed so much of these, what we call impermeable surfaces,” such as roads and sidewalks, “we've also increased the risk of flooding that way,” he added. “Our landscape is our best defense.”
State data estimates sea levels around Long Island will rise 13 to 25 inches over the next 25 years and as much as 69 inches by 2100, Newsday has reported. The rising water is expected to reshape shorelines and disrupt basic infrastructure, from roadways to the electrical grid.
An analysis of federal data from NextLI, a Newsday initiative that publishes research relevant to Long Island, indicates that flooding could pass north of Eaton Lane to parts of Montauk Highway by 2050.
Nancy Carey, 74, who lives on the northern portion of Eaton Lane — which, she said, doesn’t struggle with chronic flooding the way neighbors south of Magoun Road do — questioned why other nearby flood-prone areas, such as West Sequams Lane, were overlooked.
She also said the town already installed a “much bigger” pump on Eaton Lane about two years ago, and asked why it needs to be replaced.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
Rob Walsh, 43, an Eaton Lane resident who lives south of Magoun Road, echoed similar concerns. He described the existing pump as "state of the art."
“I’m not understanding if that has to get replaced again? Or if they’re adding onto that maybe?” Walsh said.
The town did not answer questions about the pump when asked for more information.
"We look at flood mitigation projects in their totality and address the areas of most concern first," Smith said.
While the newly approved flood mitigation measures are a good start, Walsh said, they aren’t enough.
“The street gets filled with water from regular rainfall,” he said. The drainage system "needs to be completely relooked at. It’s archaic.”
Tom Connors, 36, another resident who lives south of Magoun on Eaton Lane, also said the town needs to address drainage on the street.
The newly passed measures are "a step in the right direction," but not "by any means done," he said. "We still need help with other things like raising the road and fixing the drainage system."
Facing flood issues
- Islip will spend nearly $6 million in federal funds to address chronic flooding on Eaton Lane in West Islip and other flood-prone areas in the town.
Flood mitigation plans include replacing the bulkhead at the southern end of Eaton Lane by the Great South Bay and installing a new pump on the street, where several neighbors have said rainy days trap them in their homes.
Eaton Lane neighbors have asked Islip for help with chronic flooding on the street for nearly a decade, Newsday has reported.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
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