"Prospect Park has a new role: a giant, climate-fighting sponge. Mayor Eric Adams just unveiled a $68 million plan to curb the flash flooding that has plagued the park and its surrounding neighborhoods and the fix is surprisingly old school: let nature do its job. The heart of the plan is the borough's first-ever Bluebelt, a system that uses wetlands, ponds and natural drainage to capture and filter stormwater before it can flood Ditmas Park, Kensington, Prospect Park South and Windsor Terrace."
"As a result of a year-long study, city engineers found that during intense storms, rainwater often sheets across the park rather than flowing into the 60-acre lake. When water does reach the lake, the 150-year-old waterway fills up too fast and can overflow, which ultimately pushes water into nearby streets and strains the sewer system. The Bluebelt's job is to flip that script."
Prospect Park will become Brooklyn's first Bluebelt, a $68 million nature-based system using wetlands, ponds, rain gardens, and restored historic ponds to manage stormwater. The project upgrades lake drainage to lower water levels within 36 hours instead of weeks, preventing overflow that sends water into streets and burdens sewers. West Drive will get rain gardens and a new pond to slow runoff and redirect water to the lake. Flatbush Avenue will be protected by a restored historic pond north of the zoo. The Bluebelt aims to reduce flash flooding, restore wetlands, and improve climate resilience for nearby neighborhoods.
Read at Time Out New York
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