Freeport to add more pumping stations in ongoing fight against flooding

The Village of Freeport’s network of pumping stations that keep tidal flooding at bay is set to double with $3.5 million in state funding, village and state officials announced Tuesday.

The village has already installed seven pumping stations and with the funding will install seven more. However, it still needs another 10 to 15 pumping stations after that, Mayor Robert Kennedy said at a news conference at John J. Randall Park in Freeport. 

Streets near the canals are prone to flooding.

“These areas are continuously nuisance-flooded with a full moon high tide, and these pumping stations will eliminate that,” Kennedy said. “The installation of these pumping stations will prevent nuisance flooding and protect the homeowners' vehicles as well as our fire trucks, police vehicles from saltwater intrusion.”

Kennedy said the village has spent $5 million in recent years to deal with saltwater damage to police, fire and public works department vehicles.

The pumping stations are designed to be triggered automatically when water draining into catch basins from the street reaches a certain level. The water is then pumped into the bay.

“This eliminates high-tide flooding and also eliminates flooding with rain at high tide,” Kennedy said.

Across the street from the park is an AHRC group home for people with developmental disabilities. On Tuesday afternoon, water streamed and belched from its flooded basement.

“It’s like this constantly; it collects in the basement,” said Shellyann Hackshaw, resident manager at the home. “It would be good to get some help for Freeport … it’s unsafe.”

Staff regularly move their cars to higher ground to avoid high tides that can swamp the street, she said. The agency evacuates residents whenever there’s a nor’easter or other big storm, she said.

Speaking at the news conference, State Sen. Siela Bynoe (D-Garden City) said she had experienced the flooding first hand when driving.  She was told to slow down rather than speed up, recalling a passenger warning, “You're going to create a wake. You'll get salt water into your engine.”

“We want to make sure that we protect the homes here on the coastline,” Bynoe said.

The pumping stations each cost between $300,000 to $1 million, depending on their design, Kennedy said. The village has already solicited bids for the project and they will take two to three months to build once the contracts are awarded and the state funds are available, he said.

Newsday reported last month that the U.S. House approved a water infrastructure bill that includes the authorization of $3.3 million for additional pumping stations in Freeport. That bill, the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, still needs Senate approval and the president's signature before becoming law.

While the pumps will address regular flooding, they won’t hold back storm surges that flow over bulkheads, Kennedy said. Addressing that kind of flooding will require installing surge barrier gates that close two hours before a storm hits.