Living with the Bay

Beginning in Colonial times, the flow of the Mill River was harvested to power gristmills.  The original dam at Smith Pond was constructed to power a mill. Later, in the late 19th Century, significant impoundments were established in the Mill River’s upper reaches as part of the Brooklyn Water Works project, an elaborate effort to satisfy Brooklyn’s rapidly growing water needs. These impoundments became the basis of Hempstead Lake State Park. As communities emerged, storm water and sewer systems developed with outflow pipes entering the river and roads with rail lines crossing the river. 

 

With increasing populations and development, Mill River communities have been more susceptible to flooding. This became most evident during Superstorm Sandy, when Nassau County was hit with rain and a tidal surge of up to 18 feet. Public and private infrastructure along the river were damaged including more than 7,600 homes, as well as bridges, businesses, parks, roads, schools, and a wastewater treatment facility at the entrance of the Bay.

 

Inland communities regularly experience flooding due to heavy rainfall (such as experienced during Hurricane Irene and other more frequent storm events) exceeding the carrying capacity of the existing storm water infrastructure.  Frequent flooding has been identified by the Town of Hempstead, Village of Malvern Village, the Hempstead Public Housing Authority and other locations, as identified in Figure 2.

Figure 2: LWTB areas of flooding

 

• Tidal storm surge during major storm events (as evident from Superstorm Sandy),
• Inundation by surface waters due to poor drainage during storm events,
• Coastal changes associated with erosion and 
• Other coastal changes associated with relative elevation changes (e.g., land/marshland subsidence and/or sea level rise).

• Hempstead Lake State Park (HLSP) Improvements: LWTB will address storm water storage capacity management by rehabilitating and enhancing an existing 100+ year old dam located at HLSP. As an instrument for flood mitigation, the dam (with an operating gatehouse) will provide for reduced and delayed peak flows to downstream water bodies and communities during extreme weather events. This project will have several significant co-benefits, such as reducing the risk posed to downstream communities by dam failure and rehabilitation of this historic structure. Other improvements at HLSP, including wetland rehabilitation and dam repairs in the Northern Ponds area, will further enhance storm water flow attenuation, improve water quality in the watershed by removing contaminants in urban run-off and provide enhanced habitat and new, expanded passive recreational opportunities. The HLSP improvements will also include a new facility to be used for education and as a coordination center during emergencies, as well as improved waterfront access at various locations, further improving recreational opportunities in this critical State park.
   
• East Rockaway High School Hardening: LWTB will install a bulkhead and living shoreline to reduce erosion and flooding in the athletic fields and parking areas. The project will also consider opportunities for storm water storage, increased public waterfront access, backflow prevention devices and a generator to support the school as an emergency shelter during disasters.
   
• Storm water Retrofits: The State will strategically install green infrastructure including, but not limited to: drywells, bioswales, permeable pavement, tree planting, and select bioretention and infiltration interventions throughout the project area.
   
• Smith Pond Drainage Improvements: LWTB will improve water quality, enhance recreation, restore the ecological system to promote native aquatic species and expand the hydraulic surge capacity of the pond, by reconfiguring the bottom of the pond. Sedimentation has reduced the hydraulic capacity of the pond to absorb storm water first-flushes and altered the ecology to favor invasive species. Project elements anticipated include shoreline stabilization, recharge basin, permeable pavement parking lot, a fish ladder, and either rehabilitating or replacing the existing weir. Dredging, wetlands restoration, landscaping (including tree planting) and construction of greenway paths will also be evaluated.  
   
• Coastal Marshland Restoration:  LWTB will restore, protect and/or enhance marshlands in the Back Bay at the mouth of the Mill River. The project will be designed in a manner to slow tidal storm surge velocity and enhance habitat for native species, including birds, fish, and benthic species.
   
• Greenway Network: LWTB will create greenways connecting communities with sections of the project area, including north of HLSP, throughout HLSP, south to Smith Pond and East Rockaway High School. The State will evaluate connecting the greenway further south to Nassau County Bay Park.
   
• Social Resiliency Programs: LWTB will work with relevant community organizations and/or educational institutions to develop public education programs. These education programs will include environmental and historical education for schools and the public. LWTB will also look to develop job training programs with a focus on green infrastructure. 

 

Budget and Leveraging of Funds

The budget amount submitted in the overall design proposal to the RBD competition for the Living with the Bay project was $177,366,078. With a Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation of $125,000,000, the State will explore additional funding options to fill any unmet needs and analyze the budget further, to implement a reduced scale project which still meets project objectives.

The State is committed to the successful implementation of Living with the Bay, and will look at funding opportunities such as federal or private grants, and additional financing opportunities.

Budget

Timeline

The environmental documents for this project can be found here.