The $ 700 million program of the Metropolitan Transport Authority to fortify the New York City metro system against Flash floods is advancing on various fronts.
However, regional officials and experts warn that their success depends on complementary updates to the aging of the city’s sewerage network – $ 30 billion, an effort of several decades – and smaller -scale interventions in the neighborhoods.
A storm of July 15 that fell 2.1 inches of rain in an hour overwhelmed the combined sewerage system and sent streams of water to the subway tunnels. The crews bombed more than 15 million gallons at night to restore the service.
“We burn 10 million gallons on a dry day. Yesterday, we bombed 15 million more,” said MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber in a July 16 interview at the local television station NY1. “Last night we have 2.1 inches in an hour. That’s when the great backups pass.”
The current MTA capital plan includes increasing entries at flood-prone stations, updating about 250 pumping stations and strengthening embankments along the Hudson Metro-North line. Lieber accredited New York state to support the initiative, but said that federal funding represents only about 20% of its capital budget.
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“This climate investment is mostly state money … We bless our friends in Albany to increase,” said Lieber.
While the MTA focuses on an underground, the city’s environmental protection department works at street level to manage rainwater. Earlier this year, DEP announced a hydraulic model throughout the city of its 7,500 miles of sewer, allowing engineers to simulate the performance of the system during the extreme climate and prioritize high -risk areas.
Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala described the model in a statement as a “important milestone”, adding, “the data collected will guide our future rainy water management decision -making”.
Dean estimates that complete sewer updates, including larger underground arrest systems and underground arrest systems, could cost up to $ 30 billion. To accelerate resilience, the agency combines traditional gray infrastructure with green infrastructure and public-private collaborations.
Through its resistant NYC Partners program, Dept collaborates with companies such as Arcadis to adapt large private property with bioswales, permeable pavement and underground arrest systems.
Nick Nyhan, a founder of The City Sponge, a basic initiative that promotes neighborhood -based resilience, said that distributed solutions are critical alongside major investments in infrastructure.
“Even if you have given $ 30 billion to DEP, they can’t keep up with the water,” Nyhan said. “You need individuals and neighborhoods to take small -scale mitigation measures (creek barrels, permeable paving, background valves, because the city cannot do it alone.”
Nyhan also emphasized the visibility of the green infrastructure. “People see a Bioswale or Rain garden, and it’s beautiful. That matters. Great sewerage projects do not give you the same visible reward,” he said.
Robert Freudenberg, the Vice President of Energy and Environment of the Regional Plan Association, a non -profit New York Planning for Lucre, agreed that layer solutions are essential.
A flood map developed by the Pratt Institute, shared by the city’s sponge, highlights dozens of metro stalls throughout the New York city prone to Flash flood, a visual reminder of the challenges of planners and engineers.
“Every little help, from the community gardens to the rain barrels, but at the end of the day they are great investments in infrastructure that will really avoid the worst impacts,” said Freudenberg.
Freudenberg noted that the coordination of the agency between the MTA and the DEP has improved, but is restricted by the separate capital budgets.
“Can there be better coordination? Yes. But at the end of the day, it is reduced to the capital budgets of these individual departments,” he said.
He also said that political attention is cyclical.
“When the rain arrives and we have a flood, the attention moves to this,, Said Freudenberg. But as soon as those floodable waters disappear, our approach and attention goes back to other things. “”
Flash flooding unforeseen supplies brings complexity to planning efforts.
“Unlike coastal floods, we cannot always predict where to hit,, Said Freudenberg. )This makes it more difficult and economically more difficult to decide where to invest. “”
Until the larger updates of the system are performed, the metro floods are still a recurring risk.
“We need to make many investments in climate resilience,, Lieber said: )And thanks to Albany and Governor Hochul, we have $ 700 million to make it in the next five years. “”
