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Rye Looks To Work With County On Airport Flooding In Greenwich

RYE, N.Y. -- In their efforts to control flooding in Rye, city officials are looking towards the airport and working with officials from the county on possible solutions.

Rye officials are hoping that by working with the county and airport, they can work to decrease flooding that impacts Rye.

Rye officials are hoping that by working with the county and airport, they can work to decrease flooding that impacts Rye.

Photo Credit: The Daily Voice File Photo

"One of the central themes of our flood mitigation plan has been the airport. Since 2003 in particular, we've seen higher levels of runoff from the airport," said Mayor Doug French. He said that part of the problem has been that the two catch basins at the airport haven't held as much water as it was envisioned they would.

"In 2014 they've got funding and they're starting design plans to increase the capacity of the two catch basins, and potentially add a third and then 2015 would probably be when they get it implemented."

City Manager Scott Pickup said that part of the airport's master plan is to detain more water, but that the airport is running out of land. He said that Rye engineers have met with county engineers with the goal of working together. He also said that the city has also met with SUNY Purchase about possibly detaining water on their campus.

"When we get into the design and location of a new basin off the airport property and potentially on the SUNY property, that's gong to require, I think, a lot of cooperation not only with Rye elected officials, but with county elected officials, with airport officials, a lot of levels of government," Pickup said. "That's going to be a challenge to get that project designed and built."

Pickup said that some recent facilities built on the campus at Brunswick School in Greenwich has contributed to a change in the pattern of runoff. This has increased the amount of runoff that is showing up on the airport property. He also said that the school is considering additional changes, and that Rye's city planner has reached out to them for their plans and analysis on how it could impact storm water.

"I think that one of the things the next council will have to try to do is to pull some of those parties together," Pickup said. "The first selectman's office in Greenwich, Rye Brook, ourselves, the county, the airport, and try to bring their engineers and our engineers and the right people to the table to have that conversation and see if we can look at more of a regional type of approach to this."

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