A group of residents from Linwood Avenue and Arthur Street in Farmingdale Village are seeking relief from a flooding problem which - during the most recent torrential rain storm in early January - left them knee-high in puddles.

About twenty residents showed up at the Jan. 25 Village Board of Trustees Meeting to ask for a solution to the problem, and presented to the board a letter that makes their case.

Speaking for the group, John Wallace, a retired engineer who has lived on the block since it was developed in the early 1950s, noted that flooding occurs in the area every fall or summer during heavy rains, and is worsened when leaves block street drains.

"We've been flooded, and the problem's been going on since 1951," he said, citing, in particular, major flooding on Jan. 3 of this year. "We think it's about time that an analysis was done by licensed engineers to tell us what is the capacity of the current system."

On Jan. 3, three and a half feet of rain could be seen in the middle of Linwood Ave. and Arthur Street, causing as much as 4 to 6 inches of water to seep into nearby residents' basements. In addition to interior water damage, residents reported damage to landscaping.

Although appealing for action, the group of residents at the meeting used a non-confrontational tone in dealing with the village officials. For example, in submitting the letter before the board, Wallace noted that he "understands that the board is already taking action."

In response to the presentation, Jack Scherer, superintendent of the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the village, noted that Melville-based H2M Group, which is employed as the village's engineering consultant, has been assigned to perform an evaluation of the drainage system of the area.

Scherer also stated the following about the issue: 1) The village currently has three major trouble spots for flooding - The Linwood Avenue and Arthur Street vicinity, Maple Street and Bernard Street. 2) The Linwood Avenue flooding is being caused, in large part, by water flowing down from surrounding streets which are at higher elevations - in particular -Thomas Powell Boulevard. 3) Like most storm drain systems, the drains in the area are designed to handle an average of about an inch of rain per hour. 4) To address the problem of drain blockage caused by leaves, the DPW completes the cleaning of all drains in the village every two to three years. However, this is expected to increase to the completion of at least half of the drains every spring, made possible by the recent purchase of a new basin cleaner.

Saying that he has empathy for the residents, Mayor Joseph M. Trudden added, "You have the assuredness of this board, that we're going to follow up with the engineer, and tell you exactly what we're going to do and when we are going to do it."

A resident from Bernard Street also spoke at the meeting. He commended the village's DPW for trying to alleviate flooding on his street by removing leaves from drains. "The reaction from the village and Jack [Scherer] and everybody, we felt, was very positive," he said describing his family's correspondence with the village on the matter. "I appreciate it." He noted that the removal of leaves from more drains could do more to help the situation.

The analysis of the drainage system is expected from H2M within a month.