Flushing Bay and Gowanus Canal Watershed Initiative
Stormwater Best Management Practices and Low Impact Development Grant Program
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting stormwater best management practice (BMP) and low impact development (LID) proposals for the Gowanus Canal and Flushing Bay watersheds. This project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by New York State and DEC for violations of New York State law and DEC regulations.
DEP will award several grants to projects that help to remove stormwater from the combined sewer system and treat urban stormwater runoff prior to being discharged into local waterways. Examples of methods of achieving this include the following:
• Improving stormwater runoff quality by directly removing
pollutants.
• Improving stormwater quality through soil or other media
• Increasing retention time to allow for greater soil
infiltration
• Improving or adding retention capacity
• Improving or adding detention capacity
• Reducing Combined Sewer Overflow volumes and floatable debris
from stormwater runoff.
A total of $2,900,000 will be available for potential projects. DEP plans to award $1,450,000 for projects within the Gowanus Canal watershed and $1,450,000 within the Flushing Bay watershed. The breakdown of grant awards is expected to be:
• Up to five $20,000 grants for each watershed and
• Up to three $450,000 grants for each watershed.
While the work must be completed within these watersheds, individuals, community and environmental groups, universities and other organizations that are not based in the Gowanus or Flushing watersheds are still encouraged to apply. The start of the application process is expected to begin in late Fall 2009 with a period of proposal development of approximately two months. Additional information regarding the program will be available in Fall 2009 on this page.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/yhhkkdy
