Too much water can be scary, but it also brings people together to work on solutions.

In the wake of devastating floods from Hurricane Helene in many southern US states, a group of pro-active NYC residents, local leaders, community orgs and city experts recently gathered in Brooklyn to discuss a timely concern: how to prepare for more water here.

While it was meant to provide a higher-level overview of the flooding situation in the neighborhoods within the Gowanus / Park Slope watershed, also discussed were specific topics based on questions people had submitted, such as:

• Porous pavement: what are tests showing and can we do it at our place

• Green infrastructure: who will maintain it

• Requesting rain gardens via the DEP

• Sewer connection questions and who responsible for repair

• Laws on flooding, permitting, the impact of big new developments

• De-escalating the “cement race”: more retaining walls or green approaches

See below for video, highlights, and visuals from “Water Connects Us: A Community Discussion on Flooding in the Gowanus Watershed” held at the Park Slope Public Library on October 1, 2024.

[ The event was a shared effort of The City Sponge, Forth on Fourth Ave (FOFA), Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC), Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC), Field Form, Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), and the Office of Emergency Management (NYC OEM). Thank you for your collaboration! ]

Some Notable Highlights:

One goal was to show how people are experiencing flooding first hand: down the hill in Gowanus and 4th Ave but also UP the hill on 5th Ave and Park Slope. It is connected.

• Joann from 4th Ave shared what has to be called a “courageous fight” against repeated severe flooding on her corner with video and pictures of how high it can get. She regularly checks 3 weather apps and will wade through high water (and pollution) trying to clear drains. She talked about how sandbags don’t work and she now swears by Gorilla Glue Tape and her home-made solution of a board at the door.

• Stephanie from 10th St recounted how she solved her basement flooding first but then had to address the growing pool in her backyard with green and grey infrastructure in order to prevent water - not just from going in her place - but also to AVOID sending it to her neighbors next door and down the hill.

  

  Stephanie Explaining Her Journey To Flood Proof Her Home

  

  Her Basement

  

  Backyard Retention Tanks And Native Greenery

  

  Tanks Covered With Dirt, Surrounded By Absorbent Plants

• John from Gowanus stood up to tell how his wife fell into an open manhole during a Brooklyn flood…the cover had shifted but the hole wasn’t visible under the flood water!!!

• City Council Member Shahana Hanif shared what she is hearing from constituents, how it is not solved simply by a single house-by-house solution but requires a multi-pronged approach across the “ecological community.” She shared the details on the many mitigation projects underway in the district, and then stayed to listen to ideas and concerns. Through this event we collected over 50 questions and ideas which her team is using for further planning.

  

  Council Member Hanif Listening
  Source: Forth on Fourth Ave (FOFA)

• Andrea from Gowanus Canal Conservancy provided context, showing maps of the natural landscape under our streets, the interplay of the hydrology and the planned grey/green infrastructure, and while the big new buildings on 4th Ave are now being built (under the Unified Stormwater Rule) to retain more water (yay), it’s the thousands of older buildings up the hill that now need to use green infrastructure to lessen downhill runoff.

  

  The Hydrology Of The Gowanus Watershed
  Source: Gowanus Canal Conservancy

  

  An Ideal Streetscape Combines Natural Green and Grey Systems Well Designed
  Source: Gowanus Canal Conservancy
  

• Tara from the NYC DEP detailed the five year multi-pronged strategy that meshes policy, sewer upgrades, and green infrastructure together, but even with that and more data from 311 and FloodNet sensors, it is harder to predict where heavy cloudbursts and inland flooding will hit. She also recommends optional AWR insurance via the DEP to cover the sewer/house connection repairs.

  

  Source: DEP

  

  Source: DEP

  

  Source: DEP

• Jill from NYC OEM noted that mitigation is different than being “prepared” which can be helped by city-wide Notify NYC system, but we need to have a tighter sense of community to be ready: wether it is cleaning sewer grates and maintaining green infrastructure to establishing neighbor networks for responding to emergencies. This is especially needed in low-income areas to ensure environmental justice across NYC.

  

  Source: NYC OEM

  

  Source: NYC OEM

• Sam from Field Form, a local landscape design build firm, described the situations they often get called in for and how people are sometimes surprised to learn about underground water. What they need to plan for and the various options, single-property options but also how in some cases an entire block can use the “inside of the donut hole” - the adjacent back yard areas of a block - for a connected and shared water management approach. Some visuals he shared and the website he used to tell the story.

Full Video Here:

(Note: visuals presented maybe harder to see so that’s why we pasted some above).

Q & A Section With Experts:

(Tip: close YouTube after watching one so next link will take you to new part.)

• Topic: porous pavement, what are test showing and can we do it

• Topic: green infrastructure: who will maintain it

• Topic: requesting a rain garden via the DEP

• Topic: sewer connection questions and who responsible for repair

• Topic: laws on flooding, permitting, impact of big new buildings

• Topic: de-escalating the “cement race”: retaining walls vs green approaches 

😅

We really could have kept going with this smart panel but wanted to give time for people meet speakers and ask individual questions around different topics before the very kind library team had to go home.

Thank you to all who attended AND to those who registered…but we couldn’t fit in. We will try to get a bigger room or a live stream next time. We hope this summary is helpful!

PS: Want to know what you can do in your place?

Given the demand, we plan to do another community event on Saturday Dec 7 but with more focus on things you can fix, afford to buy, install at your place. 

The title: “Flood Solutions Fair: What Can I Do In My Place”

The aim is like a technical trade fair with products, solutions and experts in one room where you can walk around, learn, review ideas and ask questions.

More on that soon. But save the date. Sat Dec 7 from 11-2 in Gowanus.

Please let your neighbors and friends know about The City Sponge.