Irondequoit Backyard Erodes Four Inches in Three Days as Landslide Worsens

Homeowners on Carlsam Drive face mounting costs to stabilize rapidly eroding ground behind their properties.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 3:26am

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A vast, atmospheric landscape painting depicting a dramatic landslide, with the eroding ground and leaning trees overwhelmed by the sweeping, melancholic scale of the natural world.As extreme weather events accelerate erosion, homeowners on Carlsam Drive face the daunting challenge of stabilizing their rapidly disappearing backyards.Rochester Today

A landslide on Carlsam Drive in Irondequoit, New York has been rapidly worsening, with one homeowner's backyard eroding four inches closer to their house in just three days. The ground behind several homes has been unstable and eroding, with estimates for stabilization ranging from $500,000 to $2 million. Homeowners Nary Rin and Dave Stafford are trying to get professional assessments and cost estimates to address the issue before their homes are further threatened.

Why it matters

The Carlsam Drive landslide highlights the growing challenges homeowners face from extreme weather and soil instability, especially in older residential areas. As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities will need to invest in infrastructure upgrades and provide assistance to affected homeowners to prevent further property damage and potential disasters.

The details

The ground behind the homes on Carlsam Drive has been eroding at a rapid pace, with measurements showing the distance from the edge of the erosion to one home's foundation shrinking by four inches in just three days. Homeowners Nary Rin and Dave Stafford are both impacted, with Rin's home being the more severely affected. To stabilize the area, experts say the eroded ground would need to be cleared, a solid foundation laid, and piles driven in before filling it back in to create a stable 2:1 grade slope. However, the estimated costs for this work range from $500,000 to $2 million, far exceeding the value of the homes.

  • On Tuesday, the distance from the edge of the erosion to the base of one home was 9 feet and 8 inches.
  • On Friday, that distance had shrunk to 9 feet and 4 inches, a 4-inch reduction in just 3 days.

The players

Nary Rin

A homeowner on Carlsam Drive whose home is more severely impacted by the landslide.

Dave Stafford

A homeowner on Carlsam Drive whose home is also impacted by the landslide.

Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District

The local agency that has identified the soil type on Carlsam Drive as easily erodible, contributing to the landslide.

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What they’re saying

“There's definitely areas of instability so it's getting worse, not as quickly in the last couple of weeks.”

— Nary Rin, Homeowner

“At this point, we really don't know. We're trying to move forward with getting estimates to do it properly, get engineers involved.”

— Dave Stafford, Homeowner

“Obviously the cost of that is more than the cost of both of our homes put together times 2.”

— Dave Stafford, Homeowner

What’s next

The homeowners are continuing to work with engineers and contractors to get cost estimates for stabilizing the eroding ground behind their homes on Carlsam Drive. They are also seeking financial assistance from the county and other sources to cover the potentially astronomical repair costs.

The takeaway

The rapidly worsening landslide on Carlsam Drive underscores the growing threat that extreme weather and soil instability pose to aging residential neighborhoods. As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities will need to invest in infrastructure upgrades and provide aid to affected homeowners to prevent further property damage and potential disasters.