Full moon pools high tide impact on north end

Rusty Chinnis found himself blocked out of his driveway on the morning of Aug. 1, by a pool of water.

It wasn’t raining. It was the result of a “spring tide” (not related to the spring season), which can occur at full or new moons, when the sun, moon and earth are aligned, causing the gravitational pulls of each to reinforce one another. The result brings extreme highs and lows in tides — like the high tide that resulted in water from the bay, backing up into north-end streets, as occurred during a full moon Aug. 1.

“Regularly, I see people plowing through it, not aware that it’s saltwater,” Chinnis said. “Obviously, the implications of it can be really bad.”

Chinnis believes that tide-related flooding is getting worse in the Village and other parts of the north end.
But Public Works Director Juan Florensa couldn’t say whether the backups are becoming more frequent.
“Usually what happens is, during extreme high tide, you do have some saltwater in the roads,” Florensa said. “Those who have lived out here for a long time know that it happens, and it’s very difficult to control.”

Many of the older streets in the Longbeach Village and throughout the north end, including General Harris Street, where the Public Works building is located, were built barely above sea level, which means they’re more exposed to flooding.

The town has four Tideflex duckbill check valves installed in the Village, each of which costs between $2,000 and $3,000 to purchase.

Ideally, they prevent the backflow of water. But because of their frequent exposure to saltwater, they often develop barnacles. Those, along with debris, prevent the valves from closing, allowing water to fill back into the streets.

According to Florensa, the valves were designed for lakes and other freshwater bodies and don’t work well with saltwater. The valves haven’t been installed in other locations that experience high water levels throughout the town as a result.

Florensa said that the only feasible way to prevent water pooling in the streets would be to raise them above sea level.

But that still wouldn’t take the area into dry turf.

Because water finds the lowest spot, it would result in the flooding of yards and possibly homes on those streets.

Chinnis, who emphasizes that he isn’t an engineer, said that he hopes to discuss alternatives with Florensa and Town Manager David Bullock, including the possibility of a manual-gate valve that would close only during high tide, eliminating saltwater exposure.

In the meantime, heed this warning:

If you see a pool of water in a low-lying north-end street and it hasn’t rained in a few days, it is likely tide related — which means the pools consist of saltwater, and drivers should steer clear, given the potential for vehicle damage.