April 7, 2015
Thaw has county preparing for flooding
As Cortland County continues to recover from one of the harshest winters in recent memory, thawing snows and rising temperatures combined with April showers threaten to give way to flooding.
Problems are already starting. The county Highway Department responded to a mudslide near 602 Cold Brook Road Monday afternoon.
Phil Krey, director of the Highway Department, said no damage or injuries were reported and the roadway has been cleared.
But local and county officials are still preparing for the worst through planning and flood-mitigation efforts, as snow piles begin melting across the county.
In March, approximately 20 residents in the town of Scott learned the Federal Emergency Management Agency made errors drawing up flood plain maps in 2010.
On Monday, Town Supervisor Kevin Fitch said for the most part, residents have been more concerned about affording flood insurance costs associated with FEMA’s mistake than they are about actual flooding.
But out of the flood plain discussion came the issue of flood mitigation.
As an example, Fitch noted that Grout Brook, which flows into Skaneateles Lake in the northeastern portion of the town, has been blocked by tree limbs and other debris.
Because Grout Brook is a trout habitat protected by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Fitch said it is difficult for the town to take measures to mitigate flooding on its own because it needs DEC permission first.
He added he is hoping to address the issue with the DEC.
“The town of Scott is getting ready to try to get them (the DEC) to allow us to get in there and work together to get some of these things cleaned out,” Fitch said. “There’s so much red tape.”
Krey said a number of factors influence the DEC’s approval of clearing waterways and it is done on a case-by-case basis.
“Certain waterways are maintained by the DEC and other ones are not,” Krey said. “You have different classes of streams (and) some are more sensitive than others.”
But Krey said his department has been working to stay on top of flooding issues this year by digging near problem areas to reroute waters if necessary.
In preparation for flooding, Fitch said the town has worked with the county Highway Department about three times this year to identify any blockages of streams and culverts.
No issues outside of what the town is already aware of have been found, Fitch said.
Krey added a meeting with himself, municipalities and the DEC would be helpful in removing blockages but none is planned yet.
“I’m available to assist with the towns as applicable,” Krey said.
But some measures have been taken that could help to lessen the impact of flooding if and when it happens.
The county’s $1 million countywide computer dispatch system for emergency responders is expected to go online April 20 and the city is looking at reducing flood insurance rates for around 300 residents.
Last year, the city created a flooding task force to tackle flood mitigation and to research.
In December, the task force learned of FEMA’s community rating system, which provides discounted flood insurance rates in communities based on their mitigation efforts.
City Zoning Officer Bob Rhea was appointed the coordinator applying for the program within the city and said he thinks the affected property owners could see a discount of up to 10 percent in flood insurance rates over the next couple of years.
“This year, I hope we can get a ...5 percent (discount) and move up another 5 percent each year,” Rhea said.
Rhea said a representative from the DEC will be coming to meet with the task force and the general public on May 19 and May 20 to discuss mitigation options available to the city and could possibly secure higher discounts in the future.
But he added while discounts are a nice incentive, he and the task force are practicing good governance by looking for long-term solutions to flooding and putting them into place.
“We’re not doing it just for a 5 percent discount for the 300 people,” Rhea said. “But the things that we do, things to help prevent flood damage or help you rebuild faster, that’s the advantage to the community.”
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