What Happened?
New York City has launched a 20-year, $2.4 million project to protect its waterways by absorbing and retaining potentially harmful stormwater runoff with curbside gardens. The additional green space provides both an aesthetic and environmental benefit to the local community.
Goal
The Green Infrastructure Program was first launched under Mayor Bloomberg and will continue to be expanded under the current administration. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection explains the initiative started as a pilot project that proved to be extremely effective at filtering out harmful runoff. Currently, the city is building 2,000 curbside gardens in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. These projects will:
- Beautify the neighborhood
- Clean the air
- Improve the health of the Bronx River, Flushing Bay, Gowanus Canal, Jamaica Bay and Newtown Creek
When heavy rainfall occurs, stormwater can overflow New York City’s treatment plants. The excess water is discharged into local waterways to avoid harmful flooding. The runoff, however, is damaging to the water quality.
Each curbside garden, or bioswales, is able to capture four million gallons of stormwater during a rainstorm. Annually, the city predicts the bioswales will capture more than 200 million gallons, keeping this runoff out of nearby water sources.
Not only will the curbside gardens protect local waterways, but they will do so at a lower cost than other strategies not involving green infrastructure developments. The city selected specific neighborhoods with low tree counts and rates of youth asthma to benefit from additional plants improving the local air quality.
Green Infrastructure Program
New York City’s curbside garden initiative is one component of a larger Green Infrastructure Program designed to “construct and maintain a variety of sustainable green infrastructure practices” throughout the city. The multiagency effort has deployed:
- Green roofs
- Rain gardens
- Right-of-way bioswales on city property
The program also offers private property owners in the city with a grant program providing assistance to those interested in constructing green infrastructure systems on their lots. The goal behind these projects is to implement resources that mimic natural systems to better manage stormwater runoff while improving the local neighborhood.
Designing a Curbside Garden
According to Sustainable Gardening, curbside gardens can be made up of a variety of plants including shrubs, flowers and small trees. However, communities have a few things to consider before planting any seeds.
- Shorter plants make it easier for people to see the businesses or homes on the other side of the garden, as well as their cars or traffic on the road.
- Multi-branched shrubs or trees may infringe on pedestrian’s pathway or create walking hazards on the sidewalk.
- Stones or short fences along the edges of the garden prevent people from stepping into the plants while getting in and out of cars.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, green infrastructure does not have to stop at the curbside. Green streets and alleys integrate green infrastructure components into the layout of the roads and prove equally effective at storing and filtering harmful stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Problems
Gov1 has reported on a variety of green infrastructure projects designed to prevent stormwater runoff from entering precious water sources.