WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 3
City installs nearly 300 new bioswales across Queens
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
The streets of Ridgewood, Maspeth
and Sunnyside should all
be a little dryer the next time it
rains since the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) and Department
of Design and Construction
(DDC) fi nished installing nearly 300
new bioswales in the neighborhoods
last week.
Each of the bioswales — also known
as rain gardens — in this $7.3 million
project has the capacity to hold up to
2,500 gallons of stormwater, and the
entire project expected to capture an
estimated 38 million gallons of stormwater
each year, helping to reduce the
pressure on the sewer system and
reducing the amount of overfl ows into
Newtown Creek.
“Every drop of stormwater kept out
of our local sewers is a tangible step
towards improving water quality in
Newtown Creek,” said Willis Elkins,
program manager at Newtown Creek
Alliance. “Specifi c tributaries, like
Maspeth Creek and Dutch Kills, face
signifi cant environmental harm from
combined sewage overfl ow and need
continued attention and investment
to meet Clean Water Act standards.
We are encouraged to see these new
rain gardens and look forward to DEP
pursuing more well-planned and
well-maintained Green Infrastructure
in the future.”
Bioswales are built into city sidewalks,
are 5 feet deep and are fi lled
with layers of stone and engineered
soil. The layers contain empty spaces
that are able to store the stormwater
and promote infi ltration. They are
designed to absorb the stormwater in
less than 48 hours.
DEP usually builds bioswales in
communities that are serviced by combined
sewers, which collect rain water
with domestic and industrial sewage
and move it to a treatment plant. If the
water overfl ows the sewer system, that
contaminated water goes directly into
Newtown Creek.
“Improving the health of Newtown
Creek is a priority for DEP and we are
excited that these completed rain gardens
will capture stormwater, thereby
reducing the amount of pollution that
enters the waterway,” said DEP Acting
Commissioner Vincent Sapienza.
“This $7.3 million investment in green
infrastructure will also beautify the
streets and sidewalks of Maspeth,
Sunnyside and Ridgewood, as well as
help improve air quality.”
However, many residents are not on
board with these rain gardens being
installed in their neighborhoods, and
specifi cally in front of their homes,
with no notice to the owner of the
property. Residents in northern
Queens have been fi ghting for their
right to say “no” to bioswales in front
of their homes, and one resident from
Maspeth claimed her sidewalk was
damaged by workers installing the
rain garden outside of her home.
Another point of contention against
these bioswales is the question of who
will maintain the space.
The city states that dedicated maintenance
crews are responsible for
making sure the bioswales are functioning
properly, and are instructed
to remove any trash build up in the
gardens and maintain the vegetation
Photos via Flickr/NYC Water
Ridgewood, Maspeth and Sunnyside are the homes of nearly 300 new
bioswale rain gardens.
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