Flood Mitigation

During the summer of 2018, the City of Albany experienced several extreme rain events that caused flooding and sewer backups in several areas throughout the City. The Water Board is committed to system wide infrastructure improvements to address these decades-long problems and improve the quality of life for Albany residents.

Immediate Actions

To help reduce the chance of flooding in the short term, Albany Water Department (AWD) crews perform inspections of sewer infrastructure, clearing debris from storm drains and sewers, and increasing inlet capability to allow for better flow of water.

The department is also prioritizing locations that experienced recent flooding as areas to monitor and respond to during future rain events.

What You Can Do

Please report all flooding and backups. Call Water Dispatch at 518-434-5322. This information will help in the planning of system-wide improvements.

Install a Backwater Valve. A backwater valve will help protect against sewer backups and AWD currently offers a $2,000 reimbursement program to help with the costs of installation. All backwater valves should be inspected annually to ensure the flapper valve is intact and functional. Find out more on our Backwater Valve Reimbursement page.

Long Term Improvements

The department's upgrades to the sanitary, storm, and combined sewer system has been focused on sewer separation and flood mitigation projects. The goals of these projects are to either separate the storm water flow from the combined sewer or to provide stormwater storage and retention. Over the past five years, we have increased these efforts throughout the city, using underground detention galleries, groundwater recharge, constructed wetlands and green infrastructure.