Brooklyn stormwater management plan could reduce combined sewer overflows
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Tuesday announced the release of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Stormwater Management Plan, which could prevent half a billion gallons of stormwater from entering the borough’s combined sewer system.
The study, completed by the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI), was sponsored by the Borough President’s Office with funding from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund. The plan, officially titled “The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway: An Agent for Green Infrastructure, Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency,” details how the implementation of stormwater infrastructure during the construction of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway can contribute to protection from coastal flooding, which occurred during Superstorm Sandy.
“Here in Brooklyn, we don’t just ‘go with the flow’ when something isn’t working right,” Adams said. “When it comes to our overflow problem with our sewers, which are leading to damaging coastal floods and the release of raw sewage into our marine ecosystem, major changes are needed to protect residents, business and wildlife alike. The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Stormwater Management Plan, for which this office has sponsored funding over the last 10 years, is a blueprint to a greener and cleaner future in our borough.”