Providing Staten Island an Innovative Solution for Stormwater Management
Last week we had the opportunity to join with Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke to tour the ongoing construction of the New Creek Bluebelt. The first Bluebelt to be situated in the borough’s Mid-Island section, this $22 million project will see two, of what will eventually be 19, Bluebelt wetlands built in the area. As many of you already know, the Bluebelt program preserves natural drainage corridors such as streams and ponds, and optimizes them to help control and filter stormwater.
The tour highlighted the current work taking place on opposite sides of Freeborn Street in Midland Beach. Large swaths of phragmites, common reed grass which is prone to brush fires, have already been cleared to make way for a new 4.7 acre freshwater wetland between Nugent Avenue and Freeborn, and another .7 acre freshwater wetland between Freeborn and
Olympia Boulevard.
These wetlands will slow the stormwater down after it empties from the sewer system and surrounding watershed and detain it, allowing it to be naturally filtered. The water will then slowly flow over weirs and into the new west branch of New Creek. The stream will be built to a width of 32 feet and will run southeast through City-owned property that, in later phases of the project, will be developed into freshwater wetlands. For now, a makeshift stream runs through the site to prevent the ground from getting soggy, making it difficult for the excavators and front-end loaders to maneuver.
The contractor is in the process of building a culvert beneath Freeborn that will allow the new stream to pass under the existing roadway, naturally moving the water from upstream to downstream. The new water management system also calls for culverts to be built under Olympia Boulevard and Graham Boulevard, before meeting the main channel of New Creek near Slater Boulevard. Eventually, the system will empty into lower New York Harbor.
Once the Bluebelts are fully constructed, more diverse wetland plantings, including herbaceous plants, wildflowers, woody shrubs and trees, will be added to the landscape in an effort to attract wildlife. Future phases of the project will include the installation of catch basins and storm sewers under neighborhood streets to collect and convey the stormwater to the Bluebelts.
It is expected that the New Creek Bluebelt will improve the low-lying area’s drainage system, help reduce street flooding and provide some much-needed relief to Midland Beach residents. The project is being funded jointly by DEP and an $11 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant secured by Senator Charles Schumer. DDC will manage the construction of the Bluebelts, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
