An engineering firm will develop new maps to show which parts of Pleasantville are at highest risk of flooding. The Village Board of Trustees has hired Woodard & Curran for a flood mapping and public outreach project.
The firm will produce color-coded maps to show which Pleasantville properties are located in FEMA-designated 100- and 500-year floodplains, as well as locally-identified “hotspots,” such as Grandview Avenue.
Some maps based on FEMA data are already available, such as on Westchester County’s GIS website. But according to Anthony Carr, Pleasantville’s Superintendent of Public Works, “Their resolution is terrible. Some are black and white,” he told the Trustees at their October 15 meeting. “And you can’t tell a tree canopy from a lawn, from a road, sometimes.” Carr said Woodard & Curran would create more detailed maps.
Woodard & Curran will also prepare outreach materials to inform residents who own property in flood prone areas and share information about “flood insurance requirements, preparedness strategies, and links to additional mapping and insurance resources,” according to the firm’s proposal to the Village Board.
“It would basically be a one-stop shop, a public outreach and education document for only those properties that could be affected,” Carr said.
Flooding has been a growing concern in Pleasantville and the town of Mount Pleasant. Heavy rains often lead to road closures, such as on the Saw Mill River Parkway. Some Hawthorne residents say their homes often flood when it rains. Flood risks on Parkway Field led Woodard & Curran to conclude the back field would be unsuitable for the installation of synthetic turf, impacting discussions about future athletic field needs in the Pleasantville Free Union School District. In September, local conservation groups held an information session on stormwater management at the Mount Pleasant Public Library.
The Pleasantville Village Board of Trustees has authorized $16,500 for the Woodard & Curran project.
Erin Bean
Molly Feldman
Sydney Sims
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