City & BP’s Office Ask Residents To Help Keep Storm Drains Clear

We have all seen catch basins become clogged with garbage and debris during a rainstorm, flooding nearby areas and forming small ponds that get in the way of pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd are turning to local residents for help with this problem, which scientists say will be exacerbated by climate change. They have just launched the Adopt-A-Catch Basin program, forming “partnerships” with block associations, business improvement districts, and other community-based organizations to remove debris that blocks storm drains.

The effort is intended to curb localized flooding after heavy rainstorms or microbursts, and to help prevent “floatables,” such as bottles and other trash, from entering storm drains and, ultimately, our waterways.

The program will be piloted in sections of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, along with Gowanus, Sunset Park, and Canarsie (the neighborhood with the greatest number of blocked catch basin 311 reports in 2015).

Grace Reformed Church in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens will tend to catch basins on Bedford Avenue between Lefferts Avenue and Lincoln Road.

Borough President Adams described “Adopt-A-Catch Basin” as an “innovative and intuitive community approach to curb localized flooding in our borough.”

It “fulfills the ‘think global, act local’ mission that should guide us in Brooklyn on Earth Day and every day throughout the year,” said Adams. “Catch basins are a critical and oft-overlooked part of our City’s infrastructure.”

DEP will provide training, as well as gloves and garbage bags, to participating organizations that agree to maintain storm drains in their neighborhoods, and also enroll participants in an early alert system to inform them of upcoming weather events that may cause flooding.

Adopt-A-Catch Basin has the potential to make a big quality of life impact with minimal cost and effort, say proponents.

“Mayor de Blasio is committed to engaging local communities to help solve quality of life issues,” said DEP Commissioner Lloyd. “We look forward to working with community groups…to reduce flooding and ensure the infrastructure serving their neighborhoods is performing at optimal levels.”

Any groups interested in the Adopt-A-Catch Basin program are encouraged to contact the Borough President’s Office for more details.