Page 8 - Work Force July-August 2019

CSEA members respond to flooding along Lake Ontario
ROCHESTER — For the second time in three years, record flooding along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and the tributaries of the St. Lawrence River are fracturing nerves of homeowners, elected officials and businesses alike.
Extreme weather events and excessive flooding have long challenged the state and many local governments, which often rely on CSEA members to act as first responders.
For people who live along Lake Ontario, flooding has become all too common, but there may be some relief in sight.
A new state initiative, the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (Lake Ontario REDI) will provide funding to repair previous flood damage and prevent additional flooding.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently visited Rochester to discuss details of the initiative, which he first revealed in May.
The governor called the Lake Ontario REDI a long-term solution effort that will offer $300 million in new funding for struggling communities along the lake, St. Lawrence River and bordering tributaries.
New York state and local municipalities have been rolling out emergency resources along the lake as water levels have exceeded the record highs of 2017, when the state spent $100 million to repair damage to waterfront parks, properties and businesses.
The eight lakefront watershed counties in the REDI plan include Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence.
A ‘new normal’
For CSEA members employed at state parks in the region, responding to flooding is a common task.
When extreme weather occurs, public employees, including CSEA
On the cover, CSEA member Jacob Furtner, a Pure Waters Technician at Monroe County, monitors a pump designed to remove algae and
E. coli from beach waters on the Lake Ontario shoreline. (Photo by Ove Overmyer)
members work around the clock to mitigate the effects of the weather, cleaning up damage and getting their communities back to normal, even when their own homes and families may be affected by the conditions.
At Hamlin Beach State Park, large concrete barriers are still helping with erosion efforts in Area 1 at the shore, a physical reminder of the high-water levels experienced in 2017.
Park officials say they were being proactive leaving them in place even though some visitors called them unsightly and unnecessary.
“We did the right thing by leaving them there,” said Park Manager II Kate Gross. “This year’s flooding was worse than 2017 and it was not completely unexpected.”
“I guess flood mitigation work has become the new normal,” said CSEA member and Electrician John Wolfer, who has worked for the Genesee State Parks Region for 14 years. “We send workers where they need to
go if there is a demand. If we need people at Hamlin Beach State Park, we’ll send a crew from Letchworth State Park. We have to remain flexible. That is our job.”
And our members not only work hard to get things back to normal quickly, but take pride in keeping the parks pristine.
“I really love working here at
the park,” said CSEA member Josh Flannery, who was cutting grass near Area 4 on a recent summer day. “While the flood efforts take up some of
Flannery
Continued on page 9
our time during the
spring months, we are basically back on summer schedule with keeping the park in good working condition. Take a look around. This place is beautiful.”
cseany.org
July-August 2019 Vol. 22, No. 7
CSEA members
respond to flooding
See pages 8-9
Photo by Ove Overmyer
8 The Work Force
July-August 2019
On a recent summer day, local authorities closed all town boat launches in Irondequoit Bay because of rising lake levels.