Avon Plans to Divert Future Floodwaters from Lake Road

AVON – The Town and Village of Avon plan to divert future floodwaters from the area of Lake Road, which suffered awful flooding damage from torrential rains on Mother’s Day 2015.

MRB Group, the engineering firm that consults both the Town and Village, will oversee the project to divert floodwaters Little Conesus Creek. MRB said that they are in the final stages of reviewing the last required easement from a property owner in the Oak Hill Road area and that there will be further public surveys.

“Similar to what we’re doing on Pole Bridge Road, we’re going to divert everything upstream of Oak Hill Drive directly into Little Conesus Creek preventing it from continuing down and impacting Genesee Street and Sackett and Spring Street,” said MRB engineer Kurt Rappazzo.

Since the 2015 disaster, the Village has already built several retention ponds and detention ponds to curb the damage of rising floodwaters, including a pond by Avon Central School.

“The pond at the school is mitigating a couple hundred acres if I remember correctly,” said Rappazzo. “This Oak Hill Drive is going to divert another 35 or so.”

The Village Board was receptive to MRB’s recommendation and said that the area needs this flood remediation. However, the Board took no formal action Monday night to initiate the work.

“I think everything you’ve observed has been a home run,” said Avon Mayor Tom Freeman to Rappazzo. “We just have to get it in place. These easements take time and surveys take time.”

“In the last rainstorm the water was just blowing over Lake Road,” said Village Trustee Tim Batzel. “That roadway on the top of Lake Road is taking an absolute beating every rainstorm we have.”