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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE02-41

September 6, 2002

Contact: Geoff Ryan (718) 595-6600

DEP Starts Last Two Stormwater Projects In The Richmond Creek Bluebelt Drainage System

Commissioner Christopher O. Ward of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that construction would begin on the last two major components of the stormwater management system in the Richmond Creek Bluebelt System. Work on the facilities, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs), will be done for DEP by the City's Department of Design and Construction. The first project is at the intersection of Meisner Avenue and Rockland Avenue. The second facility is located at Mill Pond in Richmondtown.

DEP's Commissioner Christopher O. Ward said, "I am delighted to see this phase reached since it marks the completion of stormwater projects in the Richmond Creek watershed, only four years after the Final Environmental Impact Statement was approved and the New York State watershed-wide Freshwater Wetland permit was issued. In addition to the stormwater components, sanitary sewers will transport sewage to a wastewater treatment plant and significantly improve water quality in Richmond Creek."

The Commissioner also said, "The six other major components of the Richmond Creek Bluebelt System were designed and completed in those four years, along with many similar facilities in other Bluebelt watersheds. I am particularly pleased that there has been strong community support for this storm water management strategy, which includes the aesthetic benefit of having each project tailored to the lay-of-the-land."

Commissioner Ward reported that DEP will be developing similar projects throughout the South Richmond area in the next decade. Additionally, the Department is conducting studies for the use of similar techniques in other parts of Staten Island as well as other parts of the City.

At the intersection of Meisner and Rockland Avenues, a new culvert crossing will be installed, along with a detention basin, and a flow-control structure. All above-ground structures will include the fieldstone facing that has become a signature of the Bluebelt walls. In addition, there will be substantial re-vegetation to reflect the plant diversity associated with a well functioning wetland.

At Mill Pond, the work will include a new flow control dam, a sluice for a future water-wheel at the Richmondtown Saw Mill, dredging of the Mill Pond, the creation of new wetland, and restorations of walkways around the pond. All of these facilities were reviewed and approved as part of a Final Environmental Impact Statement and received a watershed-wide Freshwater Wetland Permit from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

 

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