The Bluebelt program is
an environmental initiative at the forefront of the sustainability
movement. This award-winning program provides ecologically sound and
cost-effective storm water management for over one third of Staten Island’s
land area, with a service area encapsulating nineteen watersheds, and totaling
over 14,000 acres. The program preserves natural drainage corridors,
called Bluebelts, including streams, ponds, and other wetland areas.
Preservation of these wetland systems allows them to perform their functions
of conveying, storing, and filtering storm water. In addition, the
Bluebelts provide important community open spaces and diverse wildlife
habitats. (Refer to Figure 1.)
The Bluebelt program
saves tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure costs when compared to
providing conventional storm sewers for the same land area, and to date has
saved the City of New York over eighty million dollars in infrastructure
costs. This program demonstrates how wetland preservation can be
economically prudent and environmentally responsible. In a word, the
Bluebelt program is sustainable.
Additional watershed
areas exist within Staten Island and the other boroughs of New York City,
offering untapped opportunities to bring sustainable storm water management as
well as freshwater and tidal wetland preservation to more New York City
locations. Expansion of the Bluebelt program to the other areas in
Staten Island and the 4 boroughs of New York City, will improve the City’s
storm water management operations by:
Jullinnar Cooper Date:
05/22/2007
GEP 470: Internship
Project
Evaluating
The Staten Island Bluebelt:
An
Innovative Program for
Stormwater
Management and Flood Control
The Bluebelt program
was initiated in the early 1990’s by the DEP. It provides the
communities in Staten Island, with new storm water management infrastructure
that is based on natural systems and hydrological principles, also known as
Best Management Practices.
A Best Management
Practice, or BMP, is a feature, structure or practice that attenuates storm
flows and/or improves water quality. For the Bluebelt program, a BMP is
an engineered component within a Bluebelt drainage plan that achieves the same
result. A Bluebelt BMP is typically a constructed, restored or
retrofitted wetland, pond or stream where sediments and roadway debris settle
out; and where the roots of aquatic plants improve water quality through their
uptake of organic pollutants. Bluebelt BMP’s also include hydraulic
structures such as culverts, riser boxes and sand filters.
The Bluebelt was the
first large-scale application of BMP’s in New York City and is also one of the
largest continuous systems of BMP’s in the country. Disturbances to the
communities and their ecosystems were minimized by using existing natural drainage
channels, and at the time it was begun, the Bluebelt was the largest wetlands
restoration project in the country.
Widely recognized for
its success in improving quality of life for local residents, while
simultaneously improving the environment, the Bluebelt program provides an
elegant example of engineering natural systems and processes to achieve storm
water management and flood control with the incorporation of the following
beneficial ecological overlays:
• Collection of contaminants from
runoff;
• Introduction of aquatic plant species to
absorb pollutants;
• Reduction of storm water velocities;
and
• Reduction of surface waters through
groundwater recharge.
Innovative Aspects of the Bluebelt Program
Acquisition of
Wetlands: DEP purchased 325 acres of natural wetlands
within a 10,000-acre land area, for the purpose of creating new storm water
drainage to work in concert with existing ecosystems already protected by
zoning and parks. Public ownership of the properties also halted
development within the most sensitive watersheds. Currently, DEP is in
the midst of purchasing an additional 312 acres of wetlands within a
4,000-acre land area for the same purpose.
Extended Detention Basin
Extended Detention Basin
Lighthouse Ave. Culvert
Tide Gate
Open
Storm Event
at High Tide with Bluebelt System
BMP drains
out
Tide Gate
Open
Storm Event
at High Tide with Bluebelt System
Low Tide
Tide Gate
Closed
Tide Gate
Closed
Storm Event
at High Tide with Bluebelt System
Low Tide
BMP detains
runoff
1. Base Map
Data
Source: NYC
Department of City Planning & NYC Dept. of Information Technology &
Telecommunications
• New York City Real Property Assessment
Database (RPAD)
• Building Footprints
• Hydrography
• Open Space
• Railroad lines
• 0.5 foot Orthophotos 2004
2. Staten Island Bluebelt Watershed Data
Source: New York City Department of Environmental
Protection
• Blocks (Map Pluto 2006
• Lots (Map Pluto 2006)
• Streets (DCP Lion)
• Street Centerline
• trn
• Borough Boundary
• Community Districts
• Watershed basins
• 2 & 10 foot Contours
• Existing Storm sewer system
• Existing Sanitary sewer system
1. Construction Phase
2. Grading Completed
3. Planting Completed
Best Management
Practice
Bluebelt Atlas