Politics & Government

Lake Nanuet Drainage Project To Run Until Mid-Aug

Access to Lake Nanuet will still be open, but parts of Lake Nanuet Drive will be closed for the duration of this project.

 

Those driving past Lake Nanuet will see construction for the upcoming weeks. Clarkstown is replacing drainage pipes that run from Route 304 through the side yard of 28 Lake Nanuet Drive, across Lake Nanuet Drive to the park. This project began Memorial Day and will run through mid-August, according to Joel Epstein, Clarkstown’s Code & Zoning Enforcement Officer.

Access to Lake Nanuet will be open during this time, but a section of Lake Nanuet Drive will be closed until it’s over so there’s detour using Townline Road to Rose Road.

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“The drainage is to improve run off from the state highway,” said Epstein. “There’s a tremendous amount of runoff from the state highway and it floods people’s backyards and Lake Nanuet. The project was designed to replace the pipe because it’s too old and small.”

He added that to install this new pipe, the town would have to cut across Lake Nanuet drive, “but we’re cutting across water, sewer and cable lines. We have to get United Water and O&R to move their utilities.”

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United Water is currently shifting their water main and then O&R will need to come in and move their gas and electric lines.

“We’re lowering the water main because Clarkstown is putting in new drainage. This is just a piece of the project the town is implementing. Our end of it will take another week or so,” said Deb Rizzi of United Water.

“Once the utilities are out of the way, our contractors will make a big trench to install the culverts,” said Epstein. He added that the project cuts across 28 Lake Nanuet Drive, which belongs to Gale Fleur.

“She granted us the easement to go through her property. She’s a big help to us,” said Epstein. “We’ve notified all the people in that area. This process to get there can be a nuisance with the construction and the road closure though.”

He added that this project started later than they had hoped, but in the end it will benefit the homeowners and Lake Nanuet with easing flooding issues. The town will also restore Fleur’s property after the project.

“We’ve had flooding in rainstorms since I bought the house 37 years ago,” said Fleur. “One of the problems is that the flooding comes from Route 304, which is state property and I’m on town property,” so addressing the drainage problem has been a long time coming.  

“It’s been very bad in heavy rainstorms,” she added, and several feet of water would flood her property and reach her front door. She said, thankfully her house has not had any flooding because of how the property is sloped.

Epstein expects 6-8 weeks of construction, but by the end of July, they’ll just have surface work left, such as paving. 


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