BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — About 30 people attended a meeting and presentation of the Potsdam Flood Free Coalition Monday, Oct. 28, including representatives from the village, town, school and hospital.

Organizers Heather Wheeler and Ryan Deuel told North Country This Week, that the coalition held the meeting as a way to foster a working relationship between the municipalities, school, hospital and community on flooding issues which have been an issue in the village for years, but were most recently brought to a more serious depth during the August 9 weather event.  

"We are hoping to foster a partnership and cooperation," Wheeler said.

"The goal of the coalition is to bring the village, town, the school and other stakeholders together for the common problem of flooding in the village of Potsdam," Deuel said. "That was really our goal."

The Coalition, a group of residents and business owners from Pleasant, Waverly, and Elderkin streets, aims “to bring together community members and government officials to work toward climate-smart solutions that will help mitigate future flooding in the Village of Potsdam,” a recent press release from the organization said.

The August flooding event, powered by a hurricane, closed many roads, flooded basements and caused thousands of dollars in damages across Potsdam and the North Country.

The village alone incurred more than $17,000 in damages and expenses dealing with the flooding.

The town highway department, village Department of Public Works and the Potsdam Fire Department dealt with hundreds of calls ranging from flooded basements and disabled vehicles to road washouts.

Meanwhile residents and business owners have high repair costs of replacing furnaces, plumbing fixes and electrical repairs resulting from the flooding, as well as probable foundation and structural damages to their buildings.

In many cases, flooding disaster aid is not going to be available for some homeowners who don't meet qualifications, and many residents have reported that insurance payouts are not going to be forthcoming either.

For the Coalition however, the focus is on infrastructure improvements that the municipalities and the school can make to mitigate the flooding issue, which is not just limited to the major events that get the headlines, but includes chronic standing water in the neighborhoods in the center of the village near Pleasant, Waverly, and Elderkin streets and in some areas along Pine Street among others.

"The affected area has widened," Wheeler told North Country This Week. "And we struggle with an aging canal system that can't handle the type of storms we are getting."

The village's Crosstown Canal stormwater sewer system, decades old, has been prone to flood issues and an ongoing maintenance issue for village officials over the last few years.  

The coalition meeting featured a presentation by Clarkson University civil engineering professor Erik Backus focusing on previous engineering studies and ongoing environmental impacts on the local system.

"I don't think we got complete answers, but that was expected. What we did get is commitments from the town to work with the village on an engineering study," Deuel said.

The village board recently agreed to circulate a Request for Qualifications among engineering firms to complete an updated engineering study that will allow them to pursue several grants which could help with infrastructure improvements that could mitigate the high water issues plaguing the residents.

There have been various efforts by the various governments, the hospital and school to mitigate the water issue, but both Wheeler and Deuel said the coalition's interest is to urge the various parties to work in concert on the issue.

"We hope to continue the partnership we've started with all these jurisdictions," Wheeler said.

"We would like to be involved in the process," Deuel said.

To learn more about the Potsdam Flood Free Coalition, join their Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/potsdamfloodfreecoalition.