SE Queens Green Infrastructure

170 specially designed curbside rain gardens and infiltration basins have been installed in the southeast Queens neighborhoods of Queens Village, Wayanda and Cambria Heights. Each installation has the capacity to collect and absorb up to 2,500 gallons of stormwater during each rainstorm and it is estimated that they will capture in total over 17 million gallons of stormwater annually!

Rain gardens supplement a robust drainage system and are built in city sidewalks.

Infiltration basins mimic existing sidewalk conditions and can have either a concrete top or grass. Like rain gardens, they vary in size and have curb cuts that allow stormwater to enter and overflow if they become saturated.

To date, more than 4,000 rain gardens have been built within the streets and sidewalks of New York City, with approximately 5,500 more in construction now and thousands more planned for the next several years. The de Blasio Administration is investing $1.9 BILLION to build a comprehensive drainage system and alleviate flooding in neighborhoods throughout southeast Queens. The program is the largest of its kind and consists of 45 sewer projects overall, including 10 that are substantially completed and 11 that are in active construction.