Clarkstown Gets $6.4 Million For Flood Mitigation

Clarkstown will receive two grants of more than $6.4 million for flood remediation projects this year. The larger of the two grants, $3.46 million, will be utilized to reduce flooding problems in the Klein Avenue area of West Nyack. A $3 million grant comes from a program established to help communities recover from Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack announced the grants from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State of New York on Monday. He said the funds will help residents of West Nyack who have been dealing with repeated severe flooding over the years.

“Funding through federal and state grants help offset the cost of these projects to our taxpayers and we are grateful to Governor Cuomo for recognizing the importance of these flood mitigation projects in the Town of Clarkstown and around the state,” he said.    

Funding through Launch Coastal Protection will enable the town to increase the height and length of the Klein Avenue Levee.  The levee has continuously been overwhelmed by high levels of water in the Hackensack River, which result in major flooding of the Klein Avenue neighborhood.

The NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program established by Cuomo will provide $3 million for additional rebuilding and revitalization assistance for Clarkstown. Town officials said no specific plans for how that money will be used have been identified although it does expect to apply it to various projects throughout town. The program requires a team from Clarkstown and a team from the state to look at projects across the town and work together to select which ones they will do. The governor allocated $25 for the statewide effort. Read more about the program here. http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/community-reconstruction-program

This latest infusion of state funds comes after a December announced that Clarkstown was selected to receive $1 million from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process for the West Nyack Wetlands Restoration project. which is part of the West Nyack Revitalization Project.  The town will implement environmental restoration and flood prevention measures near the West Nyack Hamlet Green Pocket Park on West Nyack Road. 

Plans include construction of a settling basin on vacant land south of the Hamlet Green. Several infrastructure improvements will be involved such as wetland restoration, stream buffering, permeable parking and rain gardens. The grant will also fund educational kiosks and a small educational trail to promote better understanding of the importance of wetlands in mitigating flooding and improving water quality.   

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