Soccer halted at Dutch Broadway field

First video courtesy Richard DeBrosse

There was an unmistakable smell of stagnant water and earth at the Dutch Broadway Athletic Complex, on the west side of Elmont, after a record rainstorm on Aug. 14 flooded the area with nearly five feet of water. What was once a 15-acre park with a large soccer field now more closely resembles a swamp — including the insects.

The park was still largely underwater on Monday.

The complex, at 2616 Dutch Broadway, was built on an infiltration basin, or sump. According to Mike Deery, a spokesman for the Town of Hempstead, in 1985, Nassau County offered to lease the property to the town at no cost. The town converted the sump into a park, and the flooding has grown worse each year ever since.

Deery said that in 1985, Long Island’s water table was much lower, and the complex wasn’t deemed the high-risk flood zone it is today. Additionally, more water was pumped out of the sump 30 years ago. Jamaica, Queens, pumped water from the Elmont sump until the 1980s, when it began getting its water from New York City.
Over the past several years, the complex has been a problem area during flood season, typically July and August. The recent flooding, however, may have been the worst in the field’s history.

To help mitigate the problem, the town installed a pumping station nearly a year ago on the east side of the field. The station cost the town $5,000, Deery said, paid out of the town’s Parks Department fund. Since the station was installed, he added, the field has only been flooded twice, and each time the water was pumped out.

Deery said that the station has been pumping water out since Aug. 14, and the town expects it to be cleared out by next week. Asked about possible long-term damage to the field, Deery said, “I guess we’ll find out when it’s dry.”
He added, “I think anywhere there was a park in a low-water location, you saw water-ponding.”

Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said that the Aug. 14 storm broke the all-time single-day rain record at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with 7.8 inches. The previous record was 6.27 inches.

In addition to the Elmont Soccer Club, several local organizations, including the Town of Hempstead Lacrosse Academy and Elmont Memorial High School’s soccer and lacrosse teams, practice and play games at the complex.

Richard DeBrosse, president of the Elmont Soccer Club, said that since Aug. 14, the club’s practices and games have been redirected to other fields. Despite the town’s hope for a one-week cleanup, DeBrosse said he believes the field will be out of use for the next two to three months, due to likely long-term damage caused by the rain.

"The record rainfall coupled with the water table level has made this situation very tricky and difficult for everyone," DeBrosse said. "No matter how fast the water is pumped from the sump, the issue remains that the water levels are at an all time high. It's just too bad that the timing of this is so bad for our young people who are out there practicing and wanting to score some goals."

Scott Brinton contributed to this story. Comments about it? JNash@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.