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NYC wants Prospect Park to drain more of Central Brooklyn's floodwater
By
Liam Quigley
Published Dec 3, 2025
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Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Liam Quigley
Published Dec 3, 2025
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A $68 million investment announced by city officials Wednesday aims to turn Prospect Park into a giant sponge capable of reducing flooding in neighborhoods across Central Brooklyn.
The upgrade is part of the city Department of Environmental Protection’s “Bluebelt” program, which aims to make the five boroughs more resilient to torrential downpours by creating more areas that can naturally absorb massive amounts of rainfall.
City researchers found stormwater isn’t currently draining properly into Prospect Park Lake during heavy storms, causing flash flooding in nearby Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Prospect Park South and Ditmas Park. The plan calls for the creation of two new ponds in the park, rain gardens and other landscapes that ensure more floodwater drains into the lake. The investment will also upgrade drainage systems to divert floodwaters into the park and away from Flatbush Avenue, officials said.
The announcement comes two years after Tropical Storm Ophelia hammered the city with 9 inches of rain, causing floods on Flatbush Avenue and in turn the Prospect Park Zoo. The deluge devastated the zoo, flooding it with as much as 25 feet of water and requiring it to close for eight months.
City officials estimated the project will wrap up in 2032.
Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa said boosting the park’s capacity to handle heavy rain is critical for nearby neighborhoods.
“Our public parks are more than just beautiful places to take in the scenery — they are also natural infrastructure making our city more resilient,” she said. “With this investment, we’re helping protect Prospect Park and the surrounding neighborhoods from flooding, which is critical as climate change leads to more extreme weather events.”
The plan comes on the heels of major work to restore sections of the park that were damaged by a fast-moving wildfire in 2024.
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new york city
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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