Photo by N. Bower

By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

Oct. 18, 2023: Given the rain-soaked month we have just experienced, I thought it important to share past, present and planned initiatives to address flooding and sanitary sewer overflows and backups.

To facilitate all our improvements, the Village has retained the services of Professional Consulting Inc. (PCI) and its principal, hydraulic engineer Arshad Jalil.

In addition, we negotiated contracts to have emergency drainage companies on retainer so when designs are perfected, work can begin expeditiously.

All of the following improvements come with a heavy price tag. Starting with the Village’s $2 million contribution to the school pump system, we have funded over $6.3 million to date on sewer/storm water maintenance and mitigation projects over and above grant monies we have received from the New York State Environmental Department facilities grants.

Stormwater Infrastructure

Midland Pump System

Following FEMA approval and funding in 2012, with one of the last 70% government/30% municipality financial splits, the complex stormwater force main and pumping system was constructed in 2016-17 and became operational in 2018.  The system has been essential to reducing flooding on the Bronxville School campus and in the Midland Valley Drainage Basin.

Stormwater System Mapping

The Village participated in a multi-jurisdictional grant program to digitally map all of the Village’s stormwater conveyance systems, a process never undertaken prior. The maps serve a variety of purposes including identifying areas where the Village’s system is undersized or in need of additional catch basins.    

Storm Drain Repairs

Catch basins continue to be replaced or repaired as needed. Due to the increased stormwater and large-scale rain events, they are cleaned more frequently throughout the year.

Sanitary/Storm System Cleaning

Lines have been televised to confirm integrity, pinpoint areas in need of repair, replacement or lining and also cleaned with high pressure hoses to remove debris or other material that can reduce capacity. More than 8000 linear feet of sanitary or stormwater infrastructure has been televised. The Village has a contract with Green Mountain Pipeline Services of Vermont to line the Village’s sanitary sewers. To date, over 4,000 linear feet have been lined.

Bronx River Flood Study

The study finally commenced late this summer after years of lobbying and is being performed by a consulting company under the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Resilient NY Program.  The study will identify short- and long-term solutions to flooding along the Bronx River including the corridor along Paxton Avenue and Parkway Road.

Hamilton-Sussex Neighborhoods Stormwater System Upgrade

Following ongoing flooding in this area and surrounding neighborhoods, the Village’s Consulting Engineer is finalizing a design to expand the Village’s stormwater system in this area.  Construction will start toward the end of November of this year.

Alder – Grove – Dusenberry Stormwater System Upgrade

The Village is partnering with the Town of Eastchester to address flooding in this area known as the Crawford Drainage Basin.

The Village engineer has been working on a design that includes detention ponds in the Dog Park and Nature Preserve connected by an open channel. Looking to an even longer-term solution, last week the Town of Eastchester Engineer walked the Siwanoy property. The ultimate long-term solution will involve getting an additional drainage pipe to Siwanoy and down through the golf course. The Village had the whole Crawford Basin surveyed this summer and our consultant with PCI is using that data to develop the improvements in the parks.

We also requested the Town of Eastchester Engineer to update us on the extent of his review for the Iona University soccer field drainage that was performed in Tuckahoe.

In addition, we requested the drainage analysis that was performed for the Cottle School field improvements. Both projects were wholly in municipalities outside of our Village, so we had no approval authority.

In addition to these items and in an effort to reduce flooding throughout the Village, the Village Board amended the Village Code in 2021 to reduce the allowable lot coverage and increase home setback requirements.

We also urged residents to ensure that any property drainage systems such as drywells are properly maintained and inspected regularly. Stormwater is also not permitted to be discharged directly to the Village roadway.

Due to the succession of flooding events, the Trustees may have to again revisit our rules for finished basements and the ratio on property of permeable to impermeable surfaces.

As a corollary to these maintenance and capital projects, the Village will consider adopting legislation that requires property owners to certify the condition of their lateral sewer line from the property to the municipal line in the street similar to provisions in the codes of Rye and Scarsdale. This action will help reduce what is known as I&I – Inflow and Infiltration – the overflow of rainwater into private and public sewer lines that can overwhelm the sewer system and create a backup in a residence or business. Backflow devices can help reduce the risk of a backup on a property. You can learn more about backflow devices on the Village’s website – under the Public Works Page.

As we move forward, flood mitigation stands out as the number one priority of the Village Board of Trustees.