As a way to prevent water on one property from flooding another, the Sagaponack Village Board voted last month to increase the amount of rainfall—from 2 to 3 inches—that a residential building site has to be able to absorb before it can be developed.
According to village officials, an increasing number of heavy rains, coupled with more intense development, have caused substantial flooding on several streets where the rain pools, causing problems with drainage and and damaging asphalt. In many cases, the water will run onto a neighbor's property as well.
New site plans filed with the village will have to address known patterns of runoff in the area, including the capacity of adjacent streets to collect runoff, and demonstrate that the development will be able to contain at least 3 inches of water on the premises.
No one from the public addressed the board at a public hearing on the new law, which was approved unanimously on February 16.
Erin McKinley on Feb 28, 2016