Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City completes sewer upgrade in Gowanus designed to help reduce flooding
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jul 12, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
NYC Department of Environmental Protection
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jul 12, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The city has finished work to upgrade sewers in Gowanus, Brooklyn that are designed to reduce flooding in the low-lying neighborhood, officials announced Wednesday.
The $54 million project has over the last seven years overhauled the storm sewer system along Third Avenue between State and Carroll streets.
The project expands the area’s drainage system by adding a new pipe dedicated to stormwater discharge, which officials said is intended to reduce the amount of pollution and sewage flowing into the Gowanus Canal.
Rohit Aggarwala, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement the upgraded drainage system has already proved effective at reducing flooding.
“These drainage improvements proved their worth most recently during the Fourth of July rainstorms, as DEP received no reports of sewer backups or street flooding along Third Avenue,” Aggarwala said.
The city acknowledged that Gowanus is a “vulnerable area” and that more mitigation is needed in other sections of the neighborhood.
“DEP continues to explore stormwater management solutions for other corridors in Gowanus that experience regular flooding,” Aggarwala said.
The project has torn up sections of Third Avenue since 2016 as the city installed more than a mile of new storm sewers, along with nine storm chambers and 74 catch basins. The city also replaced older cast iron pipes with sturdier ductile water mains and added 36 new fire hydrants.
The DEP also built green infrastructure like curbside rain gardens at NYCHA’s Gowanus Houses, which officials said could capture nearly 2 million gallons of rainwater yearly. The project is another step intended to reduce the pressure on the area's sewer system and decrease runoff into the Gowanus Canal.
Tagged
new york city
environment
brooklyn
sanitation
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 1:24 p.m. ET
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .