Heavy Rains Flood Area Roadways

With heavy rains battering the area, numerous roads on the North Fork were flooded Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, including Narrow River Road in Orient, according to some residents.

Orient resident Yan Rieger said Narrow River Road frequently floods and has photos of the flooding going back ten years. The road, Reiger alleges, is below the Orient Bay water table without any berms or revetments, causing inundation of all 13 residential cesspool systems in that area, including potable well water, making the situation a health hazard, as per tests by SCWA.

In addition, Reiger, said that it is not just heavy rains that flood the roadway. 

"The flooding actually is not only from the heavy rain but mainly high tide salt water from Orient Bay and adjacent marshlands," Reiger said, adding, "During hurricane Sandy the salt water in that spot was about 4 feet deep — I would not mind if that  flooding would be from rain. 

Reiger said he has been to the Town of Southold and to the highway department to request remediation; however, Reiger said the town has not responded with action. 

Neither Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell or Town Highway Superintendent was immediately available to return comment.

Do you have a road nearby that floods whenever heavy rains hit? Let us know, in the comments section.