Politics & Government

City Green Grants Help Community Fight Sewer Overflows

Of the 15 Green Infrastructure grant winners, 4 are located in South Brooklyn.

The Department of Environmental Protection has about "." Today, the city agency announced 15 projects that have won the coveted green infrastructure grants. Four are based in South Brooklyn.

The winners projects, selected from 52 applications, will reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and improve water quality in New York Harbor.

“The 15 winning projects are shining examples of the creativity and innovation of New Yorkers who care about their neighborhoods and the environment,” said DEP Commissioner Caswell Holloway.

Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During heavy storms, the sewer system, which some call antiquated, often reaches capacity. When this happens, a mix of stormwater and wastewater, CSO, enters the  city’s waterways.

This happens often in the Gowanus Canal. A particularly bad overflow last fall was caught on camera and has become something of a YouTube hit.

Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, long-known as the organization that is building the bike lane between Long Island City and Sunset Park, was awarded a large grant of nearly $500,000.

The Greenway plans to install "infiltration planters" and "porous concrete" in the sidewalk along an entire block of Columbia Street in Red Hook. The project will "remove street runoff from the combined sewer system by directing the water into the planters and will reduce CSOs to the East River," according to the release. The Greenway plans to partner with local organizations in order to get the community involved.

"It's a whole new game!" said Brian McCormick, a founder of Brooklyn Greenway Initiative. "It puts the 'green' front and center in the Greenway. We've been saying all along that we are much more than bike lanes - and now it's official."

Another winner is the Boerum Hill restaurant . The locavore-centric favorite, with Highview Creations LLC, won a grant of just over $40,000 that will enable the construction of a green roof at the restaurant. According to the release, the green roof will manage over 60,000 gallons of stormwater per year and will reduce CSOs to the Gowanus Canal. "Drought-tolerant herbs" will be grown on the roof and will be used in the restaurant.

"We believe that the grant program is exactly what New York City needs to address stormwater capture issues, and we are very enthusiastic about being a part of it," said Eric Dalski, founder of Highview Creations LLC.

Gowanus based organizations Intelligent Distributed Detention Systems — Gowanus Canal Watershedand New York Restoration Project (NYRP) — Carroll Street Community Garden also won grants. Both of these projects will help to decrease the number of CSOs entering the Gowanus Canal.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill