The City has unveiled the completion of two anti-flooding projects for two separate parks located in Brooklyn.
The first of the two completed projects can be found at Bed-Stuy’s Jackie Robinson Park, where the park’s popular tennis courts have been freshly renovated by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
According to a release, DEP installed various green infrastructure to the tennis courts, with the intention of “keeping rain and snow that falls on the tennis courts out of the sewer system,” thus preventing stormwater from building up at the nearby Newtown Creek and potentially leading to flooding.
The central part of the project was the construction of a subsurface detention system, which reportedly allows all of the stormwater that lands on the surface of the courts to be slowly absorbed into the ground below.
According to a release, the new infrastructure is projected to keep an estimated 1.2 million gallons of stormwater out of the sewer system every year.
In addition to the more environmentally-friendly improvements, other renovations completed to the courts included resurfacing, a new coat of paint, the installation of new nets, along with updated lines.
“This million dollar investment for Jackie Robinson Park Playground has multiple benefits for the community as it will help to reduce neighborhood flooding, improve the health of Newtown Creek, and of course provide a terrific facility for tennis and other activities,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala.
The second project, which was celebrated by city officials last week, was recently completed at the Pacific School (P.S. 38K) in Brooklyn.
Similar to the project that took place at Jackie Robinson Park, Pacific School’s newly-renovated community schoolyard now features green infrastructure that will reportedly manage nearly 1.2 million gallons of stormwater per year, which should help reduce neighborhood flooding and lower pollution levels at Gowanus Canal, according to a release.
“A beautiful new playground for P.S. 38 and the community, that also absorbs stormwater and helps to improve the health of the Gowanus Canal, is a win-win for New York City,” said Aggarwala. “Green infrastructure, upgraded sewers and the now under-construction $1.6 billion sewer overflow retention tanks demonstrate all the tools we are using to better manage stormwater, reduce flooding and protect the Gowanus Canal.”
The opening of the new and improved playground is the first project to be completed through the Mayoral Extreme Weather Task Force. The park is expected to serve over 32,000 residents, according to a release.
“Parks are essential for the mental and physical well-being of New Yorkers, and this new community space is a key part of our work to close the park equity gap and increase climate resiliency,” said Mary Alice Lee, interim New York State director and NYC Playgrounds director for Trust for Public Land.
“In addition to serving the entire neighborhood with quality park space, this schoolyard will give students the opportunity to learn and play outdoors, while its green infrastructure features will absorb millions of gallons of stormwater that would otherwise flood our city streets.”
