Urban was proud to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fresh Creek Coastal Protection project in New York. The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) hosted the event that recognized the project’s efforts to protect the most at-risk sections of Fresh Creek’s shoreline in Canarsie, Brooklyn. The area has been vulnerable to flooding caused by high water levels during storm surges and high tide. The flood protection measures will improve resiliency in the area, which is a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area.

 “By reducing the potential for flooding along Fresh Creek, this project will protect residents and enable important infrastructure to withstand the impact of future storms,” said GOSR Executive Director Katie Brennan. “Importantly, our work to improve this community’s resiliency will also combat the inevitable rise in sea levels due to climate change.”

To address the flooding into the shoreline sewer system, the Dormitory Authority of New York (DASNY) and GOSR hired the Urban Engineers and KS Engineers, P.C. Joint Venture consultant team to conduct restoration on the storm sewer system draining into Fresh Creek by constructing tide gates over five storm sewers along 108th Street and reconstructing the Avenue M outfall. The $14 million project installed new tide gate chambers within culverts flowing to the creek at Avenue K, Avenue L, Avenue M, Avenue N, and Seaview Avenue. The gates, or “flappers,” protect the exit point from the sewage pipelines into the creek. This helps prevent water from the creek from backflowing through culverts and allows the existing drainage system to function more efficiently.

The outfall into Fresh Creek at Avenue M, which was blocked by sedimentation and other debris that hindered the flow of water, was reconstructed with a reinforced concrete storm sewer outfall. As water reaches high levels during storm surges, high tides, and extreme weather events, these measures will prevent water from the creek from back flowing through the storm water sewer system and flooding the neighborhood. Restoration of the Avenue M outfall will mitigate the impacts of erosion currently deteriorating the coastline.

“DASNY is proud to partner with GOSR to help Canarsie residents guard against flooding now and in the future,” said DASNY President and CEO Reuben R. McDaniel, III. “We’re grateful to Governor Hochul for her continued support of this important initiative and her commitment to strengthening communities all across New York.”

“As we mark a decade since Superstorm Sandy, many New Yorkers continue to feel its devastating effects, especially those near the Fresh Creek Basin,” said U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. “The combination of degraded sewers, being surrounded by bodies of water and the rise in extreme weather events resulting from the climate crisis makes the Canarsie community particularly vulnerable to flooding events. That was why it was so important for every level of government to come together to secure funding and support for the Fresh Creek Tide Gate project. I thank the hard work of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery for getting us to today so that we can be better prepared to face future storms.”

“I am truly pleased that the $14 million Fresh Creek Coastal Resiliency Project is now complete,” said NYC Council Member Mercedes Narcisse. “With the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy upon us, and so-called ‘once in a lifetime’ storms now a much more regular occurrence, this should provide relief to all my neighbors in Canarsie that our beloved neighborhood is now better protected.”

This coastal resiliency project will help the community adapt to the effects of climate change by reducing flooding during future storms and due to sea-level rise, as well as helping the area recover more quickly during future storm events. Now that these renovations are complete, elected officials say that residents in the area are no longer complaining about flooding issues. They hope that remains the case during heavy storms in the future.