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City to Study Potential Fixes for Flood-Prone 'Lake Grimsby'

By Nicholas Rizzi | December 7, 2016 4:51pm
 The city is starting to study several measures aimed to help reduce the flooding on Grimsby Avenue.
The city is starting to study several measures aimed to help reduce the flooding on Grimsby Avenue.
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DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi

MIDLAND BEACH — A flood-prone street mocked as Staten Island's all-season vacation resort could close for good.

The city will study potential solutions to stop Grimsby Avenue in Midland Beach, dubbed "Grimsby Lake" by residents, from flooding after every rainfall, Councilman Steven Matteo announced.

A sign that appeared in the area earlier this year called it a resort that opens after every rainfall.

The Department of Environmental Protection will look into adding more seepage basins and sewers and raising the roadway to try to drain the street, the Staten Island Advance first reported.

"Along with other leaders in the community, for years I have been pushing and prodding for a solution to ‘Lake Grimsby,’ but it felt like swimming against the tide," said Matteo in a statement.

"I think we now finally have a plan in place that balances the immediate need to alleviate some of the standing water on the street that literally traps residents in their homes with the long term need for a comprehensive flood-mitigation strategy."

The DEP plans to start testing the soil to see if it could handle more seepage basins to expand the street's capacity to handle water runoff, Matteo said.

It also plans to start a feasibility study to see if the road can be elevated, which would need to be approved by the Department of Transportation, and explore installing more sewers.

If the roadway elevation is approved, the city would target construction to start in 2019, Matteo said.

"DEP is pleased to be working with Minority Leader Matteo to address this chronic condition," a spokesman for the agency said.

"We are currently in the early phases of evaluating both short and long-term solutions, which we hope will provide much needed relief to these residents."

For years, residents have complained that Grimsby Avenue floods after even minor rainfall.