(May 8, 2007) — Helen Duthoy lives on a small cul de sac in Gates, but even on an elevated lot, her basement and yard flood after heavy rains.

"No matter how much rain falls, we get flooded. It is irritating but something that we have to unfortunately live with," said Duthoy, who has lived on Mercury Drive for 14 years. "The new people in the neighborhood probably aren't as calm as those who have lived through it year after year."

This year, May is expected to bring less than the normal 2.82 inches of precipitation, said National Weather Meteorologist Dave Sage. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain has fallen so far this month, but spring flooding has been a perennial problem in many towns.

The 13 inches of rain that have fallen so far this year is about 3 inches more than normal. On April 16, 1.1 inches of precipitation fell . usurping the old record of 1.06 inches, set 21 years ago.

Prolonged or heavy rain can cause rivers and streams to overflow rapidly. And late-season snowstorms, and their subsequent thaws, can exacerbate area drainage dilemmas.

The Monroe County flood hazard map shows hot spots where storms cause problems on main arteries and residential side streets. Flooding is a frequent problem, for example, on Oatka Creek Road in Wheatland, Island Cottage Road in Greece, near the Thruway in Henrietta and in some western Monroe County suburbs.

"Gates and Chili are definitely two communities that get hit hard when rain comes," said Muffy Meisenzahl, the county's director of emergency preparedness. In particular, she was referring to Coldwater Road in Gates and Ballantyne and Archer roads in Chili, which are the epicenter of flooding for the county.

Being prepared

Area officials are working to ensure that residents are prepared for the worst. Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks announced on April 30 that county residents along the shore of Lake Ontario would be able to get up to 50 sandbags to protect their property in the event of an emergency.

And when violent spring downpours crossed our area on April 15 and 16, Monroe County's 911 center set up "Hyper Reach," a telephone communication program that called more than 2,200 homes along the lake to caution them about an impending flood threat. "When we hear about storms, we target the areas that look like they will be hit hard," said Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn. "We're definitely accustomed to strange weather in Rochester, so we have to be prepared and help others get prepared."

But Rochester's fickle weather is just one aspect of the problem. Densely populated areas have a high risk for flash floods, in which rain falling several miles upstream can then move downstream rapidly. Construction of buildings, driveways and parking lots reduce the amount of water that can be absorbed into the ground and increase runoff.

But Penfield Supervisor George Wiedemer said drainage problems in his town were not simply the result of excessive development.

"There's a sizable part of our town that is located on rock, and any time you have that, it presents challenges to development and also to water-flow technology," Wiedemer said about the area of town north of Route 441.

Penfield officials work to educate the public about drainage issues.

Officials are arranging for citizen stewards in each of the town's 11 watersheds who can notify the town about problems and do minimal maintenance to prevent drainage problems, Wiedemer said.

Penfield, which spends about $300,000 annually on drainage issues, requires new development sites to build a retention pond to control flooding.

The town has about 80 ponds of various sizes for flood control, including about eight major ponds.

The neighboring town of Webster has 1,000 miles of storm sewers, more than 3,000 catch basins, about 66 miles of creeks and streams, and about 100 ponds of various sizes to collect runoff for flood control.

The size of the ponds is based on an estimate of how much runoff there would be in a 100-year event . a storm that drops 5.5 inches of rain in 24 hours.

"We try to get easements over everything that we possibly can," said Gary Kleist, director of public works in Webster. "When a development comes in and there's a creek that runs through, even if it's a single lot, we ask for easements over those creeks or little streams just so they can be cleaned out."

Too much red tape?

Another significant issue is the lengthy process of getting permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation before town workers can clear some waterways.

Joe Herbst said he has become accustomed to the drawn-out practice involved in obtaining state and federal permits for drainage work, especially near Lake Ontario. Herbst, foreman for the drainage crew in Webster, said getting permits from as many as four different agencies can take four years. In emergency situations, however, Herbst can take action without advance approval.

In Gates, the south side of town is often referred to as Swamp Heaven because of the flooding. The town, which spends between $75,000 and $100,000 on drainage yearly, has grown over the past three decades.

With that growth came more housing and pressure on drainage systems.

John Lathrop, Gates director of public works, said the town now requires developers to build catch basins and storm systems in the rear of every four homes in a subdivision. The town currently has about 225 storm wells.

"We have a very tough situation in Gates because we're already 98 percent developed, so it's difficult to fix town problems that were caused before," said Lathrop. "We are built on a very flat surface so the water just doesn't run off like we would like."

The Gates Fire Department has received 41 calls so far this year to pump three inches or more of water from flooded basements.

Many of the problems could have been avoided if people had checked their sump pump and made sure it was working, said Bill Gillette, fire commissioner.

"Treat your pumps like you treat your car. If you don't maintain it, it's not going to work for you," he said.

Some residents are trying to spread the word about flooding hazards.

Kelly Hohman, 17, a Penfield resident and a senior at Webster Schroeder High School, is using her senior project to raise awareness.

The project includes clearing debris from curbside drainage grates in Penfield and spray-paint stenciling the drains with the words: "Don't Dump."

"A lot of people don't realize that the drains lead to lakes around our community, so I'm helping spread awareness," said Hohman, who has stenciled about 120 grates so far.

ELAMOTHE@DemocratandChronicle.com

BLOUDON@DemocratandChronicle.com