Well, I love a rainy day! Send in your photos of the rain, the runoff, the height of the latest river and/or stream, or just people getting wet! Send in the measurements of the rain inches per hour, inches per day, inches per storm, and the name of your town, city, etc.
Today it is raining in the northeast US. A big coastal storm which is good for the trees and flowers and cleans the air we breathe.
Check out the way of the water flow depending on the development status. It is really an interesting diagram. Water Cycle in an Urban Setting is from a really nice EPA booklet.
From this, you should be able to see that as we continue to change the landscape and build more and more impervious surfaces, less water can penetrate the ground. Where the water penetrate into the ground, it can be filtered naturally and will slowly end up in a water body. Where the water runs off over the impervious surface (because it can not seep into the ground), it picks up dirt and stuff along the way, and enters the water body faster and hotter than the original unchanged landscape.
We can do something about this, if those who want to change the landscape understand that there is a way to do this without harming our ecology.
Let me know what you think about this.
By Dorothea Poggi on Jun 22, 2009 | Reply
First we want to congratulate Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. on the completion of their huge facility on Brush Avenue. We again thank them for their tour of the facility on May 2nd.
We then want to thank Pepsi for the contributions of water to the “Friends of Ferry Point Park” who are responsible for gathering hundreds of volunteers each year to clean the waterfront of the East River and Westchester Creek. “Friends” also works to for fill the tree stewardships of the 3000 sapling trees donated by the Prince of Monaco to create a living 9/11 Memorial Forest at Ferry Point Park. Our volunteers also nurtured Street Trees on Brush Avenue and planted hundreds of daffodils in the 9/11 Hilltop Memorial Grove and the 9/11 Throggs Neck Triangle Grove. We appreciate your water donation.
We have a special thank you for Eddie Prost of Holt Construction for being there for each problem on Senger Place during the construction phase.
Now the problems we face at the site of the new Pepsi Facility, Flooding , constant noise
Flooding: Our previous Borough President was proud to announce this Pepsi development yet there were no modifications made to enhance the “Unimproved” streets surrounding the future Pepsi Plant. Millions were given in tax abatements and incentives to get Pepsi to stay in the Bronx, and yet no attempt has been made to improve the main Street that their 95 plus vehicles will parade down each day and night 7 days a week. It is embarrassing to see 21 million spent on the construction of this building and the trucks can’t get out of the neighborhood due to flooding by the neglect of foresight by the NYC EDC/DEP/DOT. The horrendous Flooding on Brush Avenue was covered in detail by News 12 NY on June 18 and 19th. It is obviously a problem to the entire area of the NE Bronx if there is a 300ft by 40 foot/ 3ft deep pond forming at 650 Brush Avenue each time it rains hard and heavy. We understand that Brush Avenue is an “unimproved Street” and therefore some sidewalks and many catch basins were never installed. BUT how does NYC get away with allowing huge warehouses filled with delivery vehicles and a 6 acre Pepsi Distribution Facility to be built on an “Unimproved Street”? When and how do we get it upgraded to handle the water and traffic in this portion of the “Zerega Avenue Industrial Zone”?
Before the construction of this building, over 200 UPS Trucks and 200 Cable Vision Vans used this area each day. In heavy rains there was a large puddle. We cannot remember a time where trucks could not pass. We commented at one of the first Pepsi meetings that they would not be able to use the basement parking that they planned due to underground fresh water springs that historically ran through this area. Pepsi had to redesign the plans and use the roof top to park. We kept a close eye on the construction of the Pepsi Facility and witnessed the large retention tanks put below ground. We also made note of the swales that were included around the building. We asked at the dinner meeting where the water from the building would go. We asked Ken Kerns to ask the same question (there were different answers, I was told that Pepsi had a special permit to put the water directly into Westchester Creek and Ken was told it would go into the sewer system). One portion of our double lined sewer goes directly into the creek so I just thought that’s what they meant. At the meeting on May 2nd, I asked if the rain water would be directly fed into Westchester Creek, the answer was eventually.
We have one of the most advanced sewer systems in NYC. Brush Avenue has 2 separate lines to remove water from Ferry Point Area. One is the sanitary line and one is the rain/runoff line. According to Catherine Poggi (our Historian and yes, my Mom)she witnessed the risers being put in place to have catch basins connected to the rain run off line. But DEP has neglected to install these catch basins. We have asked Com.Bd.10 to include us in the budget this year for a drainage study and we were told that this budget item was accepted. Even if the study was to start tomorrow who will protect the deliveries and stalled vehicles that have been submerged in 3 ft of water? How do the customers and workers walk through this dangerous water to get to UPS?
We want something done now!!! The new houses nearby have had flooding in their basements since Pepsi leveled the land, How many vehicles will be damaged? How many tow truck fees will be paid? How many UPS deliveries and Cablevision repair/installation schedules will be missed? How many lawsuits will be filed? A sidewalk with 3 catch basins would solve this problem.
My group has warned about this situation and now it is here. We are willing to offer our past correspondences and 311 complaint numbers to the persons with damaged vehicles to support any claims against the City of NY for their neglect.
The area of Brush Avenue in Bronx 10465 is in dire need of catch basins and sidewalks
The development of this area into a portion of the Zerega Ave. Industrial zone can only
“hold its head above water” if extreme ASAP measures are taken by our elected officials.
This week alone hundreds of vehicles from UPS/Cablevision and Pepsi have been stalled,
immersed and damaged by 3 ft of water that is 300 feet in length.
In May a stalled vehicle in this flooded area ended up in a 3 way collision at this location (650 Brush Ave.)
I am requesting a representative from the offices of our Elected Officials to accompany me on a short tour of these problems. I will update the entire community which is affected by delayed UPS deliveries, Cablevision installation/repair delays as a result of this ongoing flooding.
Noise complaints: I have had 23 noise complaints from our members about two separate noises from the Pepsi Building. There is the constant 24 hour loud motor noise humming and the intermittent load chattering motor noise that occurs 24 hours but at various intervals. We are asking for help to address these noises ASAP. Neighbors are suffering from interrupted sleep, headaches and irritability.
By Solvei on Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
Hi, I love the image, and would like to find that booklet, but the image is so small and blurry, I can’t quite make out the title or the number for it. Can you help?
Clever title for the blog, by the way.
By karen on Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
Will try to find the booklet with the image. It was in an EPA handout.
Also, you should be able to click on the image and it will stand alone and later a magnifying glass should pop up and you can enlarge.
I will keep searching for the book. It may have been copied from an NRDC report.
By karen on Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
EPA Guidance Specifying Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Source Pollution in Coastal Waters, #840-B-92-002,1993 and I found a link: http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/6000/6300/6304/toc.html
By karen on Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
Here is another link: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/MMGI/index.html
Here is the book with the image on page 29.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/stoinx.asp