Cuomo: New York is testing "the most promising technology" for shoreline protection

Steve Orr
Democrat and Chronicle
A water dam, placed near an area on Edgemere Drive where Lake Ontario has flowed out and onto the street, is being filled and being used as part of an attempt to keep Lake Ontario from flooding the area.

UPDATE, 3:03 p.m.: Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich has issued a state of emergency for the town of Greece in anticipation of strong onshore winds and sizable waves expected Tuesday night and Wednesday. Reilich said this latest event may not be as severe as other storms this spring, but the state of emergency serves to warn all residents of the increased risk of flooding. It is not a travel ban, but motorists are advised to use caution when traveling along waterfront roads due to potential situations that could threaten public safety.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to the Greece shoreline bearing gifts again — this time, giant bladders that can be deployed to buffer the shoreline from the record-high waters of Lake Ontario.  

The bladders, which can be filled with thousands of gallons of water in a few hours' time, will be tested in Greece and at Sodus Point in Wayne County Tuesday night and Wednesday when northeast winds are expected to batter the shore with 3- to 4-foot waves.

They can be deployed more quickly and more inexpensively than sandbags, officials said during Cuomo's visit to Greece Tuesday morning.

"They're the most promising technology," he said.

Kevin Wisely, director of New York State Emergency Management Office, watches as James McNeely, with Flood Protection Services, explains how the Aqua Dam works to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Hundreds of shoreline protective structures have shown themselves to be too low to hold back the high water this spring, and many more have been damaged or destroyed by waves. When those concrete or rock barriers fail, flood water can rush unimpeded into homes, basements, crawl spaces, garages, yards and streets.

Temporary barriers that could hold back those waters would be a godsend to some. The state has acquired 8,000 linear feet of the portable barriers. If the testing find the bladders helpful, Cuomo said he would ask the state Legislature to fund the acquisition of more. 

The governor used a previous stop on Edgemere Drive in Greece, on Memorial Day, to announce $7 million in grants to help homeowners recover from flood damage. He said Tuesday that 400 residents had applied for aid so far. 

The governor also made a point Tuesday to renewed his criticism of the U.S.-Canadian panel that controls the outflow of water from Lake Ontario, saying the agency bears much of the blame for flooding in New York's lakeside communities.

Cuomo, who was scheduled to make an appearance later Tuesday at Sodus Point, , said the International Joint Commission "pulled the trigger too late" on increasing the flow of water from the lake into the St. Lawrence River. The lake and river levels are controlled partly by releases from a hydropower dam on the river.

During his May 29 visit to Greece, Cuomo said the IJC "blew it."

Those comments drew a rebuke from a member of the Canadian Senate, Bob Runciman, who said Cuomo was "playing the blame game and spreading falsehoods."

A Cuomo spokeswoman dismissed Runciman's comments at the time. The governor made no mention of his Canadian critic on Tuesday.

More:Cuomo triggers cross-border skirmish

Officials from the IJC and the international board that implements the lake-level regulations have said heavy rain throughout the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence basins caused the high water.

Residents of Edgemere Drive prepare for high waves from Lake Ontario.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited the area and Sodus Point to announce that the state is testing an inflatable water dam that will be placed at the edge of some properties on the lake. If it is successful they will get more. Cuomo also talked about grants for residents and business owners who received damage.  Dakota McKie with the 827 Engineering Company with the U.S. Army sits on the water dam keeping it steady until it’s completely filled.

They have insisted there was nothing they could have done differently to lessen the impact.

Cuomo's latest visit to the shoreline came on a day when property owners received a bit of good news: The international board has agreed to increase the amount of water being released from the lake by about 2 percent.

The increased rate of discharge, from 10,200 cubic meters per second to 10,400, will begin later this week and remain in place for three days, after which time the board will assess the impact, particularly on commercial shipping.

The board has agreed to release water at rates beyond 10,400 in past years, but only for brief periods. If this rate is sustained for a week, it would set a new record.

Cuomo is among a number of parties who have called on the board to increase outflows. He has said they were too deferential to commercial shippers. He made a passing reference Tuesday to the board's latest decision, but called on its members to do even more.

"I'd rather see the commercial shipping interests deal with increased water flow and currents — which they can deal with — rather than see more homes demolished," Cuomo said.

More:Cuomo presses board to release more water

Freighters are expected to continue using the St. Lawrence River after the outflow ramps up, but the stronger current that will result could make the passage unsafe, the board said.

The lake level has fallen two inches over the last three weeks. The additional decline that would result from the higher discharge rate will undoubtedly be welcomed by shoreline residents — who are sweating out yet another lakeshore flood event that's expected to hit Wayne County on Wednesday.

Cuomo in Greece spoke in the yard of one of the "hundreds and hundreds" of lakeshore homes and businesses that have been damaged by flooding that began earlier this spring. 

'You have the full support of the people of the state," Cuomo told residents impacted by the flooding in Greece. 

Cuomo announced that high-tech “bladders," filled with sand or water that can be deployed much faster than individual sandbags, would be set up in the worst flood-stricken areas to buffer the shoreline from the rising waters of Lake Ontario.

The giant bladders, called Aqua Dams, have been used at many locations around the United States and in other nations, officials said. A 160-foot-long section was being installed in front of three Edgemere Drive properties Tuesday, including one empty lot with a low breakwall that had allowed a foot-deep flood of water in past storm events.

Two more Aqua Dams, totally 700 feet in length, were being installed at Sodus Point.

"If it works, I want the state to invest in it to protect (shoreline) homeowners now — and it's reusable," Cuomo said.

SORR@Gannett.com

More:With more flooding at hand, shoreline aid is on the way

More:Cross-border skirmish: Canadian senator knocks Cuomo for lake-level rhetoric

More:Cuomo demands more water be released from Lake Ontario, but regulators decline