New York City awarded Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY a $661,000 grant to help investigate options in managing stormwater runoff. The money is part of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) $2.6 million Flushing and Gowanus Green Infrastructure Grant Initiative shared between five recipients to fund innovative methods of managing runoff.
Manhattan received the largest grant amount and will use it to install 20,000 square feet of modular green roof for New York Hospital Queens in Flushing, NY to help reduce sewer overflow. Scott Lowe, Ph.D., associate professor in Manhattan College’s school of engineering and lead investigator for the project, is partnering with HDR Engineering to design and install the roof over one year. Following completion, Manhattan engineering students will gather and analyze data for three years to determine how much water is being captured.
The results from the five projects will show whether green infrastructure projects are effective tools to help reduce combined sewer overflows and improve New York City’s harbor water quality. The city hopes to use the projects as models to reduce overflows into waterways city-wide.