Freeport gets $110G in state funds for drainage system after Sandy

Freeport has received $110,000 in state funding to help mitigate tidal flooding in the village, which suffered heavy stormwater damage during superstorm Sandy.

The money will help Freeport purchase check valves and install them in the southern end of the village. The valves “incorporate a new, innovative design that improves drainage by keeping debris from getting caught in the valve,” state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) said in a statement.

“The Village has been trying to upgrade its infrastructure to protect residents from having their homes and yards flooded during extreme rain storms,” Fuschillo’s statement said. “This funding will enable the Village to upgrade its drainage system and improve the quality of life for residents in South Freeport.”

The state money will enable Freeport to install 22 valves, Fuschillo said. The village installed a few similar valves earlier this year, he said.

The equipment is important because the village is flood-prone even when there is not a natural disaster like Sandy, village officials said.

The equipment means “roadways will now have sufficient protection against the severe damage that is caused by nuisance high tide flooding from our storm drains,” Mayor Andrew Hardwick said in a statement.