‘CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REALITY’
Construction starts on long-awaited Fresh Creek storm resiliency project
BY BEN BRACHFELD
A long-festering Canarsie
resiliency project is fi nally
underway, aiming to protect
the waterfront community
from severe fl ooding and sewage
backup in the event of a severe
storm nearly nine years
after the nabe was devastated
by Superstorm Sandy.
The $14 million project,
scheduled for completion next
summer, includes the installation
of “tidal gates” at the sewers
fl owing into Fresh Creek
at avenues K, L, M, N, and
Seaview Avenue. The scheme
also includes the reconstruction
of an “outfall” at Avenue
M that has long been deteriorating
to the point that, at
present, it’s practically useless
in protecting the neighborhood
from storm surges.
The tide gates are essentially
“fl appers,” as one engineer
described it, at the exit
point from the sewage pipelines
into the creek. During a storm
surge, the gates will close up to
prevent water, trash, and other
debris from entering the sewers
and backfl owing into catch basins
COURIER L 24 IFE, NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021
and even people’s homes,
as was seen during Sandy. The
outfall, which currently has
eroding sidewalls and a missing
roof, and is blocked by sediment
that hinders fl ow, will
be reconstructed using reinforced
concrete.
Canarsie and other neighborhoods
on Jamaica Bay are
uniquely vulnerable to the effects
of climate change, which
are rapidly accelerating, already
largely entrenched, and
will only get worse if major
changes aren’t made in the
coming decade.
“Climate change is a reality
we must address and I am
committed to building infrastructure
that will protect
our communities as we deal
with rising seas and increasingly
stronger storms,” Gov.
Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“Canarsie is particularly
vulnerable to storm
surges and fl ooding, and this
project will make the neighborhood
more resilient and
give residents the peace of
mind they need and deserve.”
The construction will be
overseen by the Dormitory
Authority of the State of New
York (DASNY).
Canarsie’s precarious perch
and outdated infrastructure
often leaves residents either
dealing with fl oods or afraid of
dealing with fl oods whenever
a storm passes New York.
“Whenever there’s the conversation
of a storm, it’s always
‘oh my gosh, let’s check
the sewer,” said state Sen. Roxanne
Persaud, who reps Canarsie
in Albany, at an Oct. 28
press conference announcing
the project’s groundbreaking.
“Is there water coming in?
Is this gonna happen, is that
gonna happen?”
“This is one step in the
right direction,” Persaud continued.
“As we are in the state
talking about resiliency across
the state, today is a great step
for the Canarsie community.”
Maria Garrett, a waterfront
resident who heads the
Fresh Creek Nature Association
and Fresh Creek Civic Association,
has been advocating
for increased resiliency for 20
years, well before Sandy, but
has stepped up her fi ght since
then, after her own home got
fl ooded by sewer backup.
“I never had an overfl ow
in my home until Sandy,” she
said. “And it was the water
coming from the creek.”
The creek’s waterfront
has been poorly maintained
for years, Garrett told Brooklyn
Paper, and the bulkheads
meant to protect it are damaged
or even submerged. “The
bulkhead is destroyed,” she
said. “It’s in the water.”
Garrett said she is pleased
that the project is getting off
the ground, but that the liftoff
is somewhat bittersweet considering
it took years to get to
this point.
“The damage that was done
to this area, way before Sandy,
it was unheard of,” she said,
“and I’ve been working diligently
to get this here project
off the ground.”
Politicians and advocates ceremonially break ground on the Fresh Creek
Coastal Protection Project. Photo by Ben Brachfeld
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