Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
AGENCY TESTIMONY
Climate change challenges and stormwater management
0:20:17
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139 sec
Commissioner Aggarwala outlines DEP's efforts to address climate change impacts and improve stormwater management in New York City.
- DEP released the 2024 Stormwater Analysis, identifying 86 locations requiring resilience projects at an estimated cost of $30 billion.
- Key projects include:
- Six sewer and storm sewer projects, including a $390 million project on Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick
- Four Blue Belt projects in advanced planning
- A cloudburst project in Montbellier Park, Southeast Queens
- Several pump station upgrades
- DEP established a new Bureau of Coastal Resilience (BCR) in 2023, which has taken responsibility for flood gates on the East Side Coastal Resilience project.
- A Resilience Finance Task Force was convened to explore funding options for critical coastal resilience work.
Rohit Aggarwala
0:20:17
I have testified at length on multiple occasions on the challenge that climate change presents to DEP.
0:20:22
Last spring, we released the 2024 storm water analysis.
0:20:27
No, this one here.
0:20:28
I brought a lot of exhibits.
0:20:29
It's somewhere.
0:20:31
Somebody can help me find it.
0:20:36
Which is the first, thank you, the first building block in the development of a master citywide storm water plan.
0:20:42
That document identified 86 locations around the city that will require resilience projects for an estimated cost of $30,000,000,000.
0:20:50
We have continued work on that effort including several key projects.
0:20:55
Six sewer and storm sewer projects including council member nurse, the $390,000,000 project on Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick that we were pleased to announce with you a couple of weeks ago.
0:21:06
Four blue belt projects now in advanced planning with sufficient funding in this budget to realize mayor Adams announced goal of a five borough blue belt program.
0:21:15
A cloud burst project in Montbellier Park in Southeast Queens and several pump station upgrades to keep sewage and storm water moving despite larger flows and higher sea levels.
0:21:25
As you know, in 2023, DEP established a new Bureau of Coastal Resilience.
0:21:31
We hope to work with the council this year to amend the charter to officially establish this bureau under DEP's purview.
0:21:39
We reached a major milestone in coastal resilience last month when BCR formally took responsibility for the first twelve flood gates on the East Side coastal resilience project.
0:21:49
Now BCR is responsible for the operations and ongoing maintenance of that critical infrastructure.
0:21:55
It's important to note that coastal resilience is not an eligible use of water rate revenues.
0:22:01
So BCR's work must be funded out of the agency's tax levy budget which traditionally has only included our air, noise, and hazardous materials functions.
0:22:13
As BCR's needs expand, this is unlikely to be realistic.
0:22:18
As a result, former deputy mayor Mirajoshi and I convened a resilience finance task force to explore ways to fund and finance this critical work.
0:22:27
The task force released its findings just yesterday in this report that can be found on DEP's website and of course I do have copies for you all.