Councilman Mathieu Eugene & Neighbors Urge DEP To Address Flooding In Our Community

Following years of problems with flooding in our area, Councilman Mathieu Eugene and neighbors told the city Department of Environmental Protection this week that change must come to our waterlogged streets and homes.

Eugene organized a meeting on Wednesday, August 12, when Tom Marrama, the DEP’s Borough Manager of Water and Sewer Operations, and Mario Bruno, the Assistant Commissioner of Intergovernmental Affairs, met with the legislator and residents on E.10th Street, between Caton and Church Avenues — an area that has been particularly hard hit by flooding.

“There is no reason residents should suffer from devastating flooding after even minor rainstorms,” Eugene said in a press release. “I have met with residents, examined areas that have received complaints, tracked complaints, surveyed residents to find the most problematic areas, and been in contact with the DEP to see what we can do to fix this problem. I will continue working hard to make sure that our neighbors don’t have to live in fear every time it rains.”

In addition to problems on E.10th Street, Eugene gave the DEP a list of places throughout his district — including in the spot around  PS 139 and Ditmas and Westminster — that regularly experience flooding.

DEP representatives encouraged neighbors to continue to report flooding problems by calling 311, or by making a complaint online. Even if you have already registered a complaint about a specific location, the DEP officials said residents should continue to log the concerns each time flooding occurs.

“Encourage your neighbors to call because believe me when I tell you 311 complaint data — we get sewer backups or whatever and that goes right to Mr. Marrama and his people,” Bruno said in a press release.

We have also reached out to Eugene’s office and the DEP for further information about any specific plans to address the flooding and will update this as soon as we hear back from them.

Eugene said he will continue to work on until this issue until is resolved.

“No one deserves to have pools of stagnant water, which can be a breeding ground for bacteria, near his or her home or school,” he said. “This is a safety and health issue and it must not be ignored.”

In addition to calling 311, you can reach Eugene about problems you have with flooding by emailing MEugene@council.nyc.gov or by calling 718-287-8762.

We’d also like to hear where you think the biggest problems with flooding are in our neighborhood –let us know in the comments below.