MIDLAND BEACH — Councilman Steven Matteo called on the city to fix a flood-prone Midland Beach block dubbed "Lake Grimsby" by residents.
Matteo wrote a letter to the city's Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday calling on them to work on temporary measures to help drain Grimsby Avenue while residents wait for a long-term solution through a $22 million project designed to reduce flooding.
"This is no way for anyone to live," Matteo said in a statement. "People should not have to leave their homes to the sight of a lake every day."
For years Grimsby Avenue's seepage basins, which aren't connected to storm water lines, have overflowed and caused flooding, even during minor rainfall, Matteo said.
While the construction of the Mid-Island's Bluebelt is expected to help flooding on the block by restoring natural drainage areas, the project is scheduled to be finished in 2017, and Matteo said residents need help now.
"Along with the Borough President [James] Oddo, I will continue to fight to see that project completed, but the flooding on Grimsby is there today and needs to be addressed," he said.
"With mosquito season in full swing, we cannot afford to have standing water like this in a residential neighborhood, and the residents should not have to wait years for a capital project in order to see some results."
While residents wait for the Bluebelt to be finished, Matteo suggested the DEP put a temporary pipe to funnel rain water to wetlands or use their trucks to pump the street after storms.
A spokesperson for the DEP said it would look into the feasibility of adding any short-term measures to reduce flooding on the block.
