Gallatin Conservation Advisory Council Focuses on Mapping Flood-Prone Areas

On June 9 — an appropriately rainy Monday — the Gallatin Conservation Advisory Council discussed the importance of drafting maps of the most flood-prone roads in the town.

Jim Nordgren, an environmental consultant working with the CAC, presented maps he worked on for the Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, detailing areas prone to flooding. In 2021, five people in Westchester County died during Hurricane Ida, as reported by Lohud, some inside their submerged vehicles. “It’s helpful to point that out as a cautionary tale,” said Nordgren. “You’re not experiencing this kind of catastrophic, fatal flooding, but [Mount Pleasant] is just south of you in a place that has a parkway like [Gallatin’s].” The CAC discussed working with the Gallatin Highway Department to draft comprehensive maps.

Flooding is exacerbated when culverts are clogged. The Hudson River Estuary Program at Cornell University has been mapping the Hudson River’s 15,000 culverts and their conditions. Nordgren presented some of the program’s findings with preliminary maps, showing many clogged culverts in Gallatin, labeled as “severe aquatic barriers.” But dozens more are yet to be surveyed. 

At its meeting, the CAC discussed the importance of culvert maintenance not just for flood prevention but also for wildlife. Trout, migratory eels, amphibians, reptiles, and even small mammals rely on navigable culverts to move between feeding and breeding grounds.

“They’re basically travel corridors,” said Nordgren. “And if they’re not perched up in the air or clogged, they can be helpful in reducing roadkill and things like that.” According to the maps, many of the culverts have high potential for restoration, restoring their role as ecological aids, especially along the Roeliff Jansen Kill.

CAC member Carol Smillie noted how poor culvert conditions affect water quality. During heavy rains, narrow culverts can scour stream banks with high velocity flow, known as a “fire-hose effect.” “It adds all sorts of silt and sediment and stormwater and hydrocarbons,” said Nordgren.

Finally, CAC member Tara Silberberg pointed out the funding opportunities for flood mapping through grants provided by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC recently announced that applications are open for its Climate Smart Communities Grant Program, which will allot $22 million for “projects related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, climate change adaptation, and engineering feasibility studies for flood mitigation” across New York. Applications for the grant are open until July 31.

“If we were to study this we could get a grant to do some of that work,” said Silberberg.

The next Gallatin CAC meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on July 14.