Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management
Today, water quality in New York Harbor is better than it has been in over 100 years. Crucial to bringing the Harbor to its current state has been nearly $10 billion in projects we have completed or begun since 2002. These projects include combined sewer overflow abatement, marshland restoration, nutrient removal from wastewater and hundreds of other projects.
To provide further water quality improvements, we are implementing an ambitious green infrastructure and stormwater management program that diverts stormwater from combined sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment plants, and reduces pollution and litter via passive and natural methods. DEP’s $1.5 billion Green Infrastructure Program, the largest and most ambitious green infrastructure plan in the country, has been delivering water quality, environmental and community co-benefits since 2011. To further improve water quality in New York City and to meet the City’s regulatory requirements, we’re working with the City’s regulated agencies to develop a similarly ambitious stormwater management program in the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) area of the City.
To develop and create the most effective stormwater management program possible, we looked to our peers in other municipalities to understand which methods have been successful in implementing stormwater management programs and meeting regulatory requirements. The resulting Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management report provides us with baseline knowledge to make informed and effective decisions for our community as we continue to develop and implement our stormwater management program. Of particular importance, this report identifies multi-purpose non-structural stormwater co-management efficiencies and solutions, such as encouraging green infrastructure in private development, and structural efficiencies such as creating retention facilities in parks as temporary stormwater storage areas.
We hope that other service providers and municipalities find this report as helpful as we do, and use it to cost-effectively improve the quality of their surrounding waterbodies and deliver co-benefits to their communities. This report would not be possible without the generous time that our peers at utilities and municipalities across the country and abroad committed to developing the following case studies. The Water Research Foundation, led by CEO Robert Renner, provided critical support in distributing this report.
