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The Flood of August 2003
Ed Jackson

On Tuesday, August 5 shortly after 3 PM a torrential downpour hit the Honeoye area, particularly east of the hamlet area and up into Bristol. Significant property damage occurred as storm water overwhelmed drainage systems.

The photos of the damage along Main Street were provided courtesy of Bob Helling. Deputies said the rain was coming down harder than they had ever seen as they tried to reach Honeoye from the east.

The storm water came down Mill Creek and other streams so fast and so hard it filled the wetlands between Honeoye Lake and Main Street. The photos of Main Street Bridge show the storm water right to the steel beams. You could hear and feel the logs and stumps hitting the bridge girders as they were forced under the bridge.

The water level in the wetland between Honeoye Lake and Main Street actually rose so fast and so high the Honeoye Lake Outlet Creek was actually flowing INTO the lake.

The photos show the plume of mud and debris several hundred feet out into the lake by

Sandy Bottom Park.

Although short in duration the storm caused significant damage to private property, roads, and bridges. A week after the storm highway crews are still clearing debris, cleaning culverts, and in Bristol there is a road closed where a bridge washed out. Hopefully we won’t see another storm like this for a good long time.

This first group of photos were provided by Bob Helling and were taken at the height of the flood
Click on any of the photos to see a larger version

This second group of photos was taken by Ed Jackson as the water began to recede