PROJECT HISTORY
The challenge
As NYC experiences intensifying storms, rains and flooding, the city required a way to better manage the stormwater that falls on private properties.
Resilient NYC Partners
Partnering with NYC property owners to manage extreme rainfall
The solution
DEP and Arcadis partnered on a unique program, Resilient NYC Partners, to help private property owners fund and implement GSI on their properties.
The Impact
Resilient NYC Partners has implemented sustainable stormwater solutions, quickly and cost effectively, on a range of private properties.
1,215,000
square feet of impervious area managed to date
755,000
gallons of stormwater storage provided
25
projects completed or in development
The challenge
The dramatic effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in cities around the world. In New York City, massive storms like Superstorm Sandy and other extreme rainfall events are becoming ever more frequent. Because NYC’s surfaces are primarily impermeable and prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground, heavy rains often result in increased surface runoff, flooding and property damage. The city also uses combined sewer systems, where stormwater and sewage share the same pipes, which can quickly overflow during heavy rainfall, resulting s impaired water quality, increased risk of waterborne diseases, and damage to aquatic ecosystems.
To enhance the city’s resilience and better protect its residents against extreme rainfall and subsequent floods, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sought a solution to improve the city’s stormwater management, focusing on private properties.
The solution
While DEP had already completed over 10,000 green infrastructure installations on public property, they knew that to truly enhance the city’s resilience to climate change and intensifying storms, they needed to better manage the stormwater that falls on private properties as well. In 2021, DEP partnered with Arcadis to launch the Resilient NYC Partners program, which allows the city to engage directly with the vast community of private property owners across the five boroughs and help fund and implement sustainable stormwater solutions on their properties.
The scope of the program includes identifying thousands of acres of impervious areas without adequate or existing stormwater management and partnering with the property owners to install and maintain green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) techniques. GSI, including stormwater storage systems, rain gardens and permeable pavements, helps to capture, filter and reduce stormwater to mitigate local flooding and reduce the amount of polluted runoff that reaches sewers and natural bodies of water. Along with improving New York City’s ability to handle extreme rainfall, these processes help to improve water quality and enhance aquatic habitats and biodiversity.
-
Read more
Utilizing a unique pay-for-performance approach, Arcadis provides full program delivery at risk, taking full responsibility for all aspects of customer acquisition, design and construction. This model helps to streamline implementation, shortening projects that typically take years to months or even weeks. For property owners, this initiative offers a more cost-effective solution for managing stormwater while also reaping the benefits of increased property value and environmental stewardship.
Recent projects completed via the program include:
- Green-Wood Cemetery: Installed stormwater storage systems, permeable pavers, and a rain garden to manage stormwater runoff and enhance the cemetery's landscape.
- Pratt Institute: incorporated stormwater storage into two existing parking lots, bringing outdated stormwater systems into compliance and helping the university manage on-site drainage issues.
- Flushing Hospital: built a stormwater storage system in under two weeks to address flooding issues impacting the hospital’s emergency room.
- Jacobi Medical Center: fast-tracked the deployment of stormwater storage systems to reduce flooding in the medical center’s primary visitor parking lot.
- T Mina Supply: implemented a modular concrete porous paving system with stormwater storage to improve drainage at a building supply yard.
The impact
Resilient NYC Partners sets a new standard for green stormwater infrastructure on private property. The program’s collaborative approach of engaging with private property owners to discuss, help fund and implement sustainable stormwater solutions on their properties has allowed DEP to leverage additional land for stormwater management, thereby expanding the reach of GSI, reducing overall costs and fostering community involvement and support. This unique partnership has helped to bring stormwater investments to a broad range of properties—universities, cemeteries, hospitals and commercial facilities—in ways that enhance the value and resilience of their properties while helping meet city-wide water quality goals.
Used capabilities
