Holding Water and Creating Forested Parks in East New York: Cleaning the Waters of Jamaica Bay (00-DG-11244225-218)

This project created a wetland garden in order to compensate for the excessive amount of stormwater runoff.

Urban and suburban communities across the country face critical problems in the management of stormwater runoff. At the same time, wetlands and natural soils sustaining native species habitat continue to disappear under expanded construction of developments and the impervious infrastructure that connects them. This project has linked these problems with a holistic solution. With major NYC Agency partners, The Gaia Institute has created a wetland garden surrounded by an upland buffer. This stormwater capture park is designed to incorporate runoff from the neighboring bus depot, as well as the adjacent NYC street (Crescent Avenue), together with reused/recycled groundwater. The aim here is to create a system which can aid in both groundwater recharge as well as water table regulation in areas of high groundwater, such asparts of the Brooklyn-Queens Aquifer. Because there are no widely applicable models capable of reversing runoff and non-point problems at present, the critical step required of an effective, ecologically based stormwater program is to document and disseminate project results. By informing the public as well as public officials of cost effective steps for reforesting patches of urban landscape for the purpose of environmental quality enhancement, it should become possible to foster and encourage investment in the replication of natural-system based non-point pollution removal within NYC and surrounding municipalities.

The project had three key objectives:

1. To build a model site to provide real-world data on development costs, maintenance requirements, water treatment and filtration capacities, plant and rhizosphere communities, as well as soil types required to attain specific performance criteria.

2. To assemble data gathered into an accessible yet scientifically based, step-by-step manual for the establishment of similar systems locally, in other parts of New York City, as well as in other urban areas around the country. While varying local conditions preclude a generic process forimplementation, basic principals and steps, along with detailed cost projections serve as a template to facilitate the preparation of local plans. An evaluation of on-site conditions also allows for projections of outcomes and predictions of local impacts. Critical variables for soil conductivity and water capture, such as soil organic content, plant variety, above and below ground biomass and macropore density, were characterized in a manner which simplifies specifying and monitoring parameters essential for performance.

3. To disseminate this information, both locally and nationally, to government, non-profit and private development sectors, targeting parties with an interest or role in stormwater water management, green space creation or environmental education.

Attachments

Click here to download this final grant report as a PDF.

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