Basin a problem


Lanzas’ yard the site of the Johnston flood

GUILDERLAND — Spring rains bring frustration to the Lanza household.

A basin in their Johnston Road backyard fills and floods their lawn, soaking their shed and crowding their pool. 

According to Anthony and Sherry Lanza, the flooding began when a driveway was built to access a new house that was recently constructed on the plot behind their property. 

“They have a low area in their backyard,” said Michael Biernacki, who built the new house and driveway.  “I didn’t put the hole there,” he said, adding of his work in the driveway, “I didn’t grade anything to the hole.”

Over the last couple of years, since construction, there have been escalating disputes between the Lanzas and Biernacki.

“It’s kind of like a natural bowl,” Donald Cropsey, the town’s building and zoning inspector, said of the Lanzas’ yard.  He went to take measurements about a year ago, he said, and found that the flooding isn’t likely a result of the new driveway.

Michael Scott, though, who sold the house to the Lanzas after living there for 59 years, said that he never had the kind of flooding problems that the Lanzas do.

Cropsey suggested that creating a swale between the driveway and the Lanzas’ house would relieve the flood waters, since it would make a way for water from the yard to empty into the culvert along Johnston Road.  “You could do it with a shovel and it wouldn’t cost you anything or you could hire a guy with a bulldozer,” he said of the cost.

The Lanzas have had three contractors come look at the property, and they got estimates from $3,000 to $6,000 to fix the pooling water in their backyard, they said.

“That whole road is a problem,” Biernacki said of Johnston Road.

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