Avon Ducks Flood Damage Due to Year of Prevention Work

AVON – After over a year of constant work to bulk up municipal drainage and retention ponds, the village escaped this year’s May rains unscathed.

In 2014, flash flooding undermined the overpass on Littleville Road. On Mother’s Day, 2015, flash flooding badly damaged Ashantee Road, Genesee Street, Spring Street, Wadsworth Avenue, Avon-Geneseo Road, Pole Bridge Road, and River Road. This year, the Village was well prepared to handle rains during Sunday’s flash flood warning.

“Everybody in Avon has become an expert in reading Doppler radar,” said Mayor Tom Freeman. “We definitely dodged the most intense rain here in Avon. The biggest development has definitely been the 2.5 million gallon retention pond. That was a terrific collaboration between the Village and the school.”

Barrett has been upsizing pipes, especially in lower Avon near the Genesee River, to get runoff out of the Village faster.

Freeman added that the village’s flooding prevention measures do not stop there.

“Everything takes time. We have pipe improvements on 5&20 which we are trying to get the state to step up and participate in,” said Freeman. “The work itself will have to be timed around school and farming, so it will likely not happen this year. Still, that is something that is a project that will definitely improve our ability to handle rain.”

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning that will extend through 9:45 p.m. Sunday.