Repairs started on Nesconset sumps

Suffolk County workers have begun restoring two sumps in Nesconset where heavy rains have caused chronic flooding.

The recharge basins, one at Hallock Avenue and Route 347 and another at the corner of Annetta Avenue and Terry Road, are designed to collect rainwater runoff from County Road 16/Smithtown Boulevard. The water remains in the basins until it seeps into the ground.

But heavy rainfall last year caused groundwater in the sumps to rise to the surface, and flooding resulted.

Trees and other foliage that had grown in the sumps also were a problem, causing a buildup of sediment that decreased the recharge capacity.

The county Department of Public Works last month began removing the dead trees to clear the sumps. The county earlier this year allocated $250,000 to make the repairs.