This Monday, Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new multimillion-dollar project aimed to reduce flooding in Harlem and East Harlem all while conserving the city’s drinking water supply. This project is estimated to cost about 35.7 million dollars in total. It;s looking to improve stormwater management in the city, focused on the northern part of central park.
This project is in an attempt to ease the pressure on the sewer system in the park and its surrounding neighborhoods during heavy rainfall, with Mayor Mamdani stating this: “Climate change is bringing more frequent and severe rainfall to our city. So far this year, we’ve spent one in three days under a flash flood activation. We are investing in infrastructure that protects New Yorkers during extreme weather while conserving the resources we all depend on. In Central Park, that means turning three beloved water bodies into part of a massive recirculation system that can conserve our drinking water on dry days and protect our neighborhoods from flooding when storms hit. This $35.7 million investment will make our city more resilient, help stretch our water supply further and keep our communities safer.”
This new project is funded through a combination of City, State and private support. More than $19.6 million in New York City Capital funding and a $10 million grant from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation given by the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, as well as millions from councilperson, brands, and donors as well.
The project overall is expected to be done by fall 2028 and to keep approximately 132 million gallons of water out of local sewers per year. The system will manage stormwater across a the park watershed in Central Park, reducing stormwater flows to NYC sewers by 90%.
