Veronica PiscitelliNew York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $21 million in funding on June 25 to improve resiliency against weather events in Westchester County.
The funding comes from the Restoration and Flood Risk category of the state’s $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. The program supports flood protection and vital resilient infrastructure projects that prevent flooding in communities along Blind Brook.
The $21 million is allocated to two projects in Westchester County, addressing current and future hydrologic flows caused by climate change.
The first project will fix two inadequately sized stream crossings: the Playland Parkway and Oakland Avenue Bridges. The undersized, county-owned bridges, which cross the Blind Brook in Rye, will be replaced with ones with significantly larger spans. The new design will allow better flow during heavy rainfall, alleviating flooding upstream.
The second project plans to restore portions of the stream to a more natural, stable condition to better prepare for future extreme weather events in flood prone areas. A channeled portion of the East Blind Brook in Rye Brook will undergo “daylighting,” or an uncovering using natural stream design techniques. The project will also expand floodplain areas with nature-based solutions such as the installation of properly sized, multistage channels, floodplains and native plants. The project will also install grade control structures and scour protection measures along the restored river to prevent channel incision and protect upstream infrastructure.
Along with the projects, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will conduct new weatherization studies in Westchester County on Blind Brook. The comprehensive stream studies, performed at no cost to municipalities, will be focused on flood prone areas. They will be conducted to help protect public health and safety, habitat, and natural resources by improving community resilience to extreme weather events driven by climate change. Similar studies have already been completed on the Bronx, Hutchinson, Mamaroneck, Sheldrake and Grassy Sprain Rivers, as well as on the Beaver Swamp.
Further flood studies are being completed across the state through Resilient New York on the development of flood and ice jam hazard mitigation initiatives. It is hopeful these studies will help guide the implementation of new mitigation projects. The DEC is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Mamaroneck, and with other partners in communities along Long Island Sound, to implement similar projects that improve resilience, protect New Yorkers and safeguard vital community infrastructure from future flooding.
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