Forbidden Gates

By The Wave | on November 01, 2018

The Oct. 27 nor’easter caused flooding on Beach 118th Street.

As massive flooding continues to plague multiple communities in Rockaway during periods of high tide, plumbing experts are steadfastly making their case for the installation of tidal gates that, they claim, are the only solution to the recurring dilemma.

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Local contractor John Norton of Norton Mechanical has seen his share of storm-sewer overflows to offer a remedy that could lead to potentially nipping the issue in the bud.

During a recent phone conversation with The Wave, the Breezy Point resident campaigned for the addition of manually or electronically operated sluices, or sluice gates, that would lock out the backflow of Jamaica Bay seawater through area catch basins and curtail excess ponding, the likes of which were seen on the morning of Sat. Nov. 24.

"All the roads in Rockaway were flooded with salt water from the bay. The rain water did not create that problem. We really didn't have that much rain, but all water came up through the storm catch basins. Those are the big drains on the corner," explained Norton, who runs his business in an area of Arverne that was heavily impacted by last Saturday's tide-induced inundation.

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The area of Beach 58th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard is one that is infamously prone to significant flooding. Photo by Ralph Mancini

He reported that the tidal effects, estimated to have reached 6 NAVD (North American Vertical Datum), were much worse on Rockaway Beach Boulevard between Beach 58th and Beach 59th Streets due to low street elevation compared to what he saw in and around his work yard on Beach 72nd Street and Hessler Avenue.

Joining in the chorus of support for tidal gate infrastructure was John Roder, himself a retired plumber, who was so frustrated by the lack of action on the part of city that he vowed to "pour cement" down the storm drains if he has to experience another bout of extreme ponding in his Beach 70th neighborhood.

Norton, similarly, pointed his finger at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for failing to properly address the situation.

"DEP is the strongest agency in the City of New York and they don't give a s%*# about what anyone has to say. They do what they want and they don't care," he said in no uncertain terms. "All of this damage happened because there are no sluice gates at the end of the storm sewer outfalls."

When then The Wave contacted a member of DEP's press office, the representative informed this paper that any concerns regarding tidal gates would come under the purview of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR). A City Hall-based spokesperson from the department has provided us with a response highlighting the city plans to tackle the widespread plight head-on.

The statement reads: "Rising sea levels associated with climate change are causing more frequent tidal flooding and more severe storm surges. To protect coastal communities, the City is moving forward with its $20 billion comprehensive resiliency strategy, which includes measures to improve stormwater management and makes substantial investments in coastal protection projects, including along the Rockaway peninsula and in Jamaica Bay communities."

"Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rockaway Reformulation will include adding tide flap gates or other comparable backflow prevention measures to existing outfalls in Arverne, Edgemere, and Hammels to prevent sewer surcharging during high tide and surge events. New outfalls will also be constructed, while existing outfalls may be extended or resized, which should improve overall drainage in the area."

Meanwhile, Councilman Eric Ulrich's Deputy Chief of Staff Robbie Schwach confirmed reports of street flooding on a stretch of Beach Channel Drive from Beach 116th to Beach 149th Streets last week that have been equipped with approximately 15 duckbill valves on the uptown thoroughfare.

The ponding, as per Schwach, began on Saturday morning at 9:40 a.m. and created overflow in many areas of the United States along the east coast from Maine to Virginia, which, he noted, will often occur during full moon cycles.

The duckbill valves were reportedly connected to local catch basins by the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) sometime in the last four years. But despite their recent installation, they weren't able to hold oncoming water down from the bay along the intersections of 116th, 120th and 122nd Streets.

Norton is of the opinion that the reason the hydraulic regulators in question failed to seal sewer drainage is because the rubberized duckbill valves are designed to open and shut when water comes an through and might have had a random piece of wood, or other material, pass through that may have kept them open.

The tidal gate devices he's endorsing reportedly remain shut once they’re closed.

"They have to address the storm sewers in Rockaway with some type of control valve, so that when we do get another extremely high tie, they can mitigate the problem," continued the water drainage and supply authority.

"If you want to state a piece of irrefutable evidence in regards to what we are speaking of, everyone in Rockaway knows that all the water in the streets disappeared after the tide went down. It flooded for two or three hours and then it was gone."

Norton's claims are indeed hard to refute, but how the community can get the attention of city officials to adequately add the right infrastructure to avoid future instances of exorbitant deluge is another matter altogether.

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