This month, outgoing New York mayor Eric Adams announced a $68m plan to construct Brooklyn\u2019s first Bluebelt in Prospect Park, a nature-based project aimed at mitigating flash flooding in the park and surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative follows a year-long study by the city\u2019s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that found the park\u2019s 150-year-old lake and drainage systems are overwhelmed during intense storms, leading to overflow and street flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement marks a major step forward in protecting Brooklyn from the growing threat of climate-driven flash flooding,\u201d comments Mayor Adams. \u201cBy investing up to $68m to create Brooklyn\u2019s first-ever Bluebelt at the iconic Prospect Park, we\u2019re harnessing the power of nature-based solutions to strengthen the park\u2019s lake and wetlands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan allocates up to $50m from DEP for the Bluebelt, complementing a separate $20m lakeshore restoration led by the Prospect Park Alliance. Key interventions include upgrading the lake\u2019s drainage to lower water levels in under 36 hours instead of three weeks, constructing rain gardens and a new pond along West Drive to capture runoff, and restoring a historic pond north of the zoo to reduce flooding on Flatbush Avenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy using Prospect Park to manage stormwater, we\u2019re turning one of Brooklyn\u2019s most cherished public spaces into a powerful tool for climate resilience,\u201d says DEP commissioner Rohit Aggarwala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project, which is slated to begin construction in 2029 and be completed by 2032, expands a Bluebelt model pioneered in Staten Island. It follows a $146m investment by the Adams administration to address chronic flooding in East New York\u2019s Jewel Streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur public parks are more than just beautiful places to take in the scenery \u2014 they are also natural infrastructure making our city more resilient,\u201d notes NYC parks commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This month, outgoing New York mayor Eric Adams announced a $68m plan to construct Brooklyn\u2019s first Bluebelt in Prospect Park, a nature-based project aimed at mitigating flash flooding in the park and surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative follows a year-long study by the city\u2019s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that found the park\u2019s 150-year-old lake and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":123759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[1051,1056,18],"tags":[1830,1277],"ppma_author":[2328],"class_list":["post-123758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-landscaping","category-nature-biodiversity","category-news","tag-commercial-landscaping","tag-nature"],"yoast_head":"\n