ANGOLA, N.Y. — Neighbors in the Towns of Evans and the Village of Angola have renewed their calls to address ice jam flooding along Big Sister Creek after reporting issues over the weekend, earlier in winter than they've ever seen.
Water was inches away from flooding Lisa Guenot's backyard along Route 5 on Friday, although some of her neighbors were not as lucky.
"Every five to seven years we'd get a lot of water and fear flooding and here it's been more regular the last seven or eight years we get flooded every year," Guenot said.
Guenot has lived along the creek for 35 years, she and her husband lost their first home to flooding and built a new one next door on higher ground. Where previously their entire property was in a FEMA-designated flood zone, now only part of her backyard, and family business, Mike's Landscaping, and Lawn Care sits in it.
But just like the timing of the ice jams, she says that the flood zone has also been changing and she blames a bridge right next to their property and in-action by the town, county, and state officials for the flooding.
Guenot said the bridge located along Route 5 creates a bottleneck for ice and debris flowing along the creek. When that ice builds up, the creek floods and impacts around 30 homeowners, "mainly north of the creek, along Main Street and Bennett Road."
A Facebook group called 'Fix Big Sister Creek' has been created to document damage and discuss ways to fix the waterway amongst the homeowners, who also meet regularly throughout the year.
While Guenot and her neighbors recognize that Western New York has experienced two historic winter storms this season which contributed to the early ice jam, they want to highlight the problem when it's happening.
"Everyone just keeps saying talk to this person and talk to this person and there have been no solutions. The only solutions we've kind of come up with are the solutions our group/committee has come up with," Guenot said.
The committee consulted the Army Corps of Engineers to propose one such solution that includes using metal pylons to break up ice as it flows. Similar structures are already in use in Gowanda and West Seneca. Guenot said members have also suggested different grants that the Town of Evans could use to pay for such improvements.
Annual or biannual dredging of the creek was another solution they considered.
"I mean it's just a combination of so many factors that it's been a little overwhelming," said Town of Evans Supervisor Mary Hosler, who spoke with 2 On Your Side over the phone Monday evening.
Hosler explained that she is well aware of the issues along Big Sister Creek, recalling how she used to rescue people from flooding in the area as a volunteer firefighter back in the 1980s. She added, "this is not a new issue but it is one we're working on."
When asked about claims that the town has failed to address concerns expressed by neighbors, Hosler said to prevent wasted work the town has to wait for New York State to replace the bottleneck bridge partially causing these ice jams. "I've been after New York State!"
"Three years ago when it flooded real bad we were three years out from getting a new bridge," Hosler said, adding that bridge replacement was supposed to happen in 2020.
"Part of the reconstruction is wing walls and we'll build off of those wing walls to build up the bank, right now it does us no good trying to add what the state might have to change," she added.
2 On Your Side has reached out to the New York State Department of Transportation via email with questions about the bridge construction timeline. Due to the New Year's holiday being observed on January 2, 2023, we have not heard back from the posting of this story.
Hosler added that while new drainage studies are being conducted on nearby creeks, town engineers have previous data and analysis on Big Sister Creek which they are in the process of compiling. She hopes to have it complete by the first quarter of 2023.
Tree loss is another factor that the Supervisor said has led to swollen creeks and streams. She called it a "perfect storm" with more intense weather and these other factors.
While solutions may be proposed, Hosler added the other barrier to action will be financing and the town's limited capacity to handle all of its ongoing projects at Lake Erie Beach, Sturgeon Point, and any new ones.
"We've got a lot of projects right now but they don't happen overnight, this isn't a new problem but we are addressing it. This is the first step," Hosler said.
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