Army Corps Study Shows Low Flooding Risk for Willow Brook

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
COOPERSTOWN

A recent study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, found a low and limited flood risk for Willow Brook near Cooperstown. The study said there is a “very low riverine flood risk in the Willow Brook watershed” and identified only three buildings in the floodplain, an issue that could be addressed with “nonstructural measures such as dry or wet floodproofing techniques.”

Willow Brook begins just northwest of the Village of Cooperstown at Moe Pond, runs along State Route 28, crosses Grove Street, Railroad Avenue, and Chestnut Street, goes under portions of the Doubleday Field complex and Main Street, before flowing into Otsego Lake.

According to a Village of Cooperstown press release, the study evaluated flood risks from stormwater and riverine flooding within the village and conducted a geotechnical inspection of the culvert under Main Street conveying Willow Brook. The flood risk evaluation involved riverine bridge/culvert surveys, hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, floodplain mapping, a complete stormwater system survey and assessment, and stormwater hydraulic analyses. The study did not evaluate flood risks from the Susquehanna River or Otsego Lake, the release said.

The report’s stormwater flooding assessment found that the “main contributing factor” to such flooding is “topographic depressions without sufficient stormwater infrastructure.” “It is inferred that roadway flooding in larger storm events is due to undersized piping or upland overland flow,” the report reads. Engineers recommended further maintenance and “consistent removal of sediment and debris.”

The report found stormwater management infrastructure to generally be in good condition.

The Main Street culvert, “in good overall condition, with no signs of imminent failure,” also showed some corrosion and concrete cracks in need of repair, the report said. Engineers recommended further inspections “on all Village-owned bridges, culverts, and the concrete channel reach along Willow Brook.”

“We applied for this study in the fall of 2023 under the Planning Assistance to States program in order to complete a flood risk management study of Willow Brook,” Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh told AllOtsego. “We received 50 percent funding for this $140,000 study. (i.e., VOC paid $70,000).

“The village was pleased to have this thorough study of the Willow Brook watershed and our storm water infrastructure. As noted in the 264-page report posted on the village website, we can utilize the findings to assess flood risk, make infrastructure improvements, and increase future resiliency of our village,” Tillapaugh said.

A full copy of the report can be found at https://cooperstownny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Flood-Risk-Management-Study.-Willow-Brook.pdf.