STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island homeowners may face thousands of dollars in repair costs and fines due to a new enforcement push by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding rain gutters connected to the sewer system.
Local politicians are pushing back against what they describe as a “hasty and overreaching” policy that burdens middle-class residents. Here are 5 things you should know.
1. The city is cracking down on a long-ignored rule
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has bolstered efforts to enforce a rule making it illegal for home rain gutters to be connected directly to the sewer system. The agency states that these sewers are designed for wastewater and that excess rainwater can overwhelm the pipes, leading to basement backups and street flooding. Some Staten Island homes have these systems, which may have been installed by the original builder without the homeowner’s knowledge.
“They’re arguing that this is something that has been on the books for a long time, but the reality is that they have left enforcement alone for decades,” City Council Minority Leader David Carr said. “There are many homes throughout this borough that have these downspout systems and they should work with the homeowners collaboratively to try and address this over the long term.”
2. Homeowners face steep fines and expensive repairs
Residents who fail to disconnect their downspouts face significant financial penalties, starting with a $3,000 fine for a first offense, which can escalate to $6,000 for a second and $8,000 for a third, according to PIX11. Those who wish to avoid the financial burden of fines still face the potential cost of hiring a contractor to perform the disconnection. For some, like resident Patrick Mooney, a Grant City resident, the fix is impractical and would require him to run his gutter under a sidewalk or onto his walkway.
“It’s a big issue for homeowners here,” said Mooney. “A lot of homeowners are having affordability issues and a lot of my neighbors are starting to think about moving south.”
3. Local officials are demanding transparency and a halt to enforcement
A trio of Republican officials — City Council Minority Leader David Carr, Assemblymember Michael Tannousis and state Sen. Andrew Lanza — have formally objected to the DEP plan. In a letter to the DEP commissioner, they argue that applying the enforcement borough-wide based on what they understand to be a single study conducted on the East Shore is “overreaching.”…