STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Days after the city cleared a massive, week-long buildup of ice in front of homes on East Figurea Avenue in Eltingville, residents say that treacherous conditions returned.
Recently, crews from the Department of Environmental Protection had removed the ice, salted sidewalks and driveways to help alleviate the hazard.
Within days, however, the icy conditions had returned and some residents say things have only gotten worse.
“DEP came and they dug up all the ice. Within 32 hours, the ice was back,” said Rory Cahill, who lives across from where the ice was forming.
“And now this morning, if you go over there, it’s just like it was — maybe even a little worse,” Cahill continued.
During a visit to the area on Tuesday, an Advance/SILive.com reporter noted that a large sheet of ice had reformed on the sidewalk in front of 107 and 111 E. Figurea Ave.
Unlike the previous buildup, this layer of ice did not completely cover the sidewalk and nearby fire hydrant. This was thanks to a heavy amount of salt that DEP had put down and the hard work of some of the block’s residents.
This photo shows a large sheet of ice forming on East Figurea Avenue in Eltingville.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
“My neighbor chopped all this [ice] out yesterday. It was out up to here, you can actually see the mark,” Ron Ogno said, while pointing to a line roughly halfway up a section of sidewalk.
Though the icy conditions were not as severe as before, frozen runoff still spread down the residential block toward Cortelyou Avenue.
The ice was also thick enough to partially encase the tires of a car parked nearby.
“When they cleaned it, it was beautiful,” Ogno said. “Next day, you saw the water running again.”
Ice on East Figurea Avenue in Eltingville partially encasing the tires of parked car on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
While the residents of East Figurea said the city did a good job clearing the ice, they were still baffled about where the leak could be coming from.
“When DEP was here, they did a good job,” said Lisa Chu, who lives directly in front of the ice sheet. “They fixed the fire hydrant, but I don’t know where this water is coming from.”
“[DEP] didn’t finish here for maybe like six hours, clearing all this out,” Ogno explained. “At this point, this is crazy,” he continued.
A spokesperson from the DEP did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
This photo from Feb. 3, 2026 shows conditions on East Figurea Avenue which had been dangerously slippery for over a week.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)
As previously reported, the thick ice — stemming from a long-standing underground leak — left sidewalks and driveways dangerously slippery.
Freezing temperatures caused constantly running water from a nearby leak to solidify, leaving neighbors, including seniors and those with health concerns, unable to safely reach the street.
Before crews had arrived on Thursday, nearby homeowners reported the sheet of ice measured several inches thick.
Sanitation workers and postal carriers had been hesitant to cross the icy sidewalks and driveways, residents said, citing fears of slipping and falling. This left garbage uncollected and mail deliveries disrupted along parts of the block.
Residents said the underground leak has been an ongoing problem, often leaving wet curbs and minor icing during winter months, but never to this extent.
DEP crews had repaired a nearby fire hydrant while also salting the area and using high-tech equipment to scan the surrounding water infrastructure.
This photo from Feb. 5, 2026 shows conditions after crews from the Department of Environmental Protection removed ice, salted sidewalks and driveways and repaired a nearby fire hydrant on East Figurea Avenue.(Advance/SILive.com | Scott R. Axelrod)
“The area is known for groundwater, so DEP will continue to monitor to see if any other water conditions develop,” an agency spokesperson previously told the Advance/SILive.com.
At the time, the residents of East Figurea Avenue hoped these fixes would prevent the issue from returning.
“For the first time in days, we can actually get out,” Ron Ogno’s wife, Cathy, told the Advance last week. “We’re just hoping this doesn’t become the same problem all over again.”