After last week’s heavy rainfall, at least two blocks of Kerrigan Avenue in Union City were left under water.
The residents living on Kerrigan Avenue between 18th and 20th streets again suffered flooding in their basements and on their street.
"Kerrigan Avenue looked like an area you can drive a boat through," said Union City Mayor Brian Stack last week after trying to drive there after the rain.
However, residents living in the area said that the flooding is a long-time nuisance.
"We always have problems when there is heavy rainfall," said Otto Sittman, a 30-year resident of Kerrigan Avenue, adding that the flooding started about 20 years ago. "We have about three or four inches of water sometimes."
In an effort to alleviate the problem, the North Hudson Sewerage Authority will be replacing the 18-inch sewer lines in the area with 24-inch sewer lines.
"The sewer that was there is inadequate to drain the water," said North Hudson Sewerage Authority Engineer Fred Pocci.
The project, which began on Aug. 21, is underway between 18th and 20th streets on Kerrigan Avenue, one block east of Kennedy Boulevard. Pocci said that the replacement should take a minimum of three weeks.
"No Parking" signs have already been posted in that area to coincide with the work being done.
Fixing the problem
According to Pocci, this project will be one of the first replacements made by the Sewerage Authority since it took over responsibility for the maintenance of the city’s sewer lines in 1999.
"For many years, residents along Kerrigan Avenue have been experiencing flooding in their basements when there is a heavy rain," said Stack. "After much research and several surveys, North Hudson Sewerage believes increasing the size of the sewer lines will solve the problem."
The Sewerage Authority took over the sewers in Hoboken, Union City and West New York in 1988. Pocci said that the authority did not take over the responsibility of maintenance until 1999.
Since then, Pocci said that the Sewerage Authority has already completed more than $15 million in repairs and maintenance.
Sittman, who has been living on Kerrigan Avenue for 30 years, speculated that development of the area may have led to the flooding.
In the past 20 years, larger homes have been built in the area, including some six-family homes, creating an increase in water usage in the area.
"These pipes just can’t handle it," said Sittman.
Pocci said that he cannot guarantee that this replacement will alleviate every problem; however, the 24-inch
sewer line is the largest line that can be installed.
The size of the sewer lines is limited by the size of the downstream sewer system, said Pocci.
"This [replacement] will certainly greatly reduce the problem," said Pocci.
Living with the floods
"Just look at it and pray that it doesn’t come up to the first floor," said Sittman about the flooding in his basement. "There isn’t much we can really do. When heavy rains come in, you can’t stop it."
For the past 20 years, the residents on Kerrigan Avenue have learned not to store anything valuable in their basements.
"We need our basement for storage," said Rachel Valdes, the assistant director of Home Away From Home Child Care Learning Center on Kerrigan Avenue near 19th Street. "It’s a shame. We lost a lot of supplies and furniture because of the flooding."
Valdes said that the center purchased about a dozen high storage racks to place their supplies on so they will not get damaged in the floods.
According to Nancy Sittman, the sewers also back-up and spill water onto the areas sidewalks, streets and backyards.