There are several calls for a makeover of Nassau County’s sewer system after it became completely overwhelmed during Friday’s storm.
Sewer water spilled onto Barnes Avenue in Baldwin during the storm.
The “sanitary sewer overflow” was caused by an overwhelming amount of rainwater, according to a county spokesperson.
The overflow happened at the low point of the Baldwin sewer interceptor, located on Barnes Avenue.
Mike Beharovic has lived on Barnes Avenue for 23 years. He told News 12 that foul odors are nothing new and that opening the windows and doors of his home are often a challenge.
"At times, out of nowhere, it will stink out here for no reason and then I'll come out here, look at the canal and say, 'Is it low tide?' and it's not. They never fix anything. They put a band-aid on it," he explained.
When asked to compare the smell to something else, Beharovic, who works for Valley Stream's Sanitation Department, shared that sometimes it's more pleasant to the senses to be at his job.
“This smell is worse than the back of a garbage truck and that's because this is constant. This is steady," he said.
Legislator Debra Mulé (D-Freeport) says the 80-year-old sewer system needs to be replaced. She points to sinkholes that have recently opened in Lido Beach, Oceanside and Baldwin as evidence the infrastructure is failing.
The project would cost an estimated $1.5 billion. A project was completed five years ago to divert 10 million gallons of water per day away from the Baldwin interceptor.
The project was paid for with funds from Superstorm Sandy.
