$10 Million to be Spent Improving Gowanus Drainage on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The city will spend $10 million upgrading the sewers and drainage on 2nd Avenue between 7th Street and 9th Street, and on 9th Street from 2nd Avenue to Smith Street.

The project, announced Thursday by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Design and Construction, will improve drainage on the streets and reduce flooding during the storms, the agencies said.

A map was also circulated showing the scope of the project area:

Image via DEP and DDC

The project has already been designed, the agencies said, with work expected to begin in the fall of 2017.

The improved management of storm water in Gowanus is a priority for the city. In October, a new "sponge park" was unveiled on 2nd Street, with officials saying it will absorb a million gallons of water each year that would have otherwise flowed into the city's sewer system, making it more likely that untreated sewage would be pushed into the Gowanus Canal.

According to the city, nearly 70 such absorptive gardens have been installed in Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Prospect Heights and Park Slope.

Pictured at top: the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 9th Street in Gowanus. Image via Google Maps.