FEMA
and local municipalities have contributed funding to break ground on a
multimillion-dollar levee project in West Nyack.
Officials say the $6.3 million dollar project is
divided between three entities -
FEMA, Clarkstown and Rockland County.
The
improvement project has $4.7 million coming federally from FEMA, $1.3 million
distributed from Clarkstown and $200,000 from Rockland County.
The project is expected to raise and lengthen the
current levee near Lake Lodico.
Residents in the area have seen water levels reach alarming heights from storms over the
years.
Jane
Storm, of West
Nyack, tells News 12 the project will give her peace of
mind.
“The water is not going to be at our door every nor’easter, every spring storm, every
time we have a wet winter,” says Storm. “You can’t put a price tag on that.”
Two pumps will be installed as a part of the project
to assist in draining the lake. Officials
say that doing so will
serve as a preventative measure ahead of large storms.
According
to officials, work will begin next week and can be expected to be complete in
under a year.