City Officials Unveil Plan to Tame Central Brooklyn's Floodwaters with Prospect Park
In an effort to bolster resilience against torrential downpours, the city has announced a $68 million investment aimed at transforming Prospect Park into a flood-control powerhouse. As part of the "Bluebelt" program, which seeks to bolster the five boroughs' defenses against extreme weather events, the upgrade aims to redirect stormwater into the park's lake and away from nearby streets.
Researchers have found that during heavy storms, stormwater is not draining as intended into Prospect Park Lake, resulting in flash flooding in surrounding neighborhoods including Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Prospect Park South, and Ditmas Park. The plan involves creating two new ponds, rain gardens, and enhanced landscapes to guide more floodwaters into the lake, thereby mitigating the risk of further deluges.
The initiative comes on the heels of severe weather events that have battered Brooklyn in recent years, including a 2024 wildfire that damaged sections of the park. In 2021, Tropical Storm Ophelia brought torrential rains, resulting in widespread flooding on Flatbush Avenue and forcing the Prospect Park Zoo to close for eight months due to rising waters reaching as high as 25 feet.
According to Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, bolstering the park's capacity to handle heavy rain is crucial for the surrounding neighborhoods, which are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to climate change. "Our public parks are more than just beautiful places – 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."
In an effort to bolster resilience against torrential downpours, the city has announced a $68 million investment aimed at transforming Prospect Park into a flood-control powerhouse. As part of the "Bluebelt" program, which seeks to bolster the five boroughs' defenses against extreme weather events, the upgrade aims to redirect stormwater into the park's lake and away from nearby streets.
Researchers have found that during heavy storms, stormwater is not draining as intended into Prospect Park Lake, resulting in flash flooding in surrounding neighborhoods including Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Prospect Park South, and Ditmas Park. The plan involves creating two new ponds, rain gardens, and enhanced landscapes to guide more floodwaters into the lake, thereby mitigating the risk of further deluges.
The initiative comes on the heels of severe weather events that have battered Brooklyn in recent years, including a 2024 wildfire that damaged sections of the park. In 2021, Tropical Storm Ophelia brought torrential rains, resulting in widespread flooding on Flatbush Avenue and forcing the Prospect Park Zoo to close for eight months due to rising waters reaching as high as 25 feet.
According to Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, bolstering the park's capacity to handle heavy rain is crucial for the surrounding neighborhoods, which are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to climate change. "Our public parks are more than just beautiful places – 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."
Can you imagine Brooklynites getting flooded again... at least now they'll have a reason to visit Prospect Park with all those extra ponds! 
I mean, who doesn't love walking around in 3 feet of water? And on the bright side, it's like nature's own public pool party! But seriously, flooding is no joke, and I guess having a $68 million plan to deal with it isn't so bad either. At least they're not using that money for a new rollercoaster... unless they could get it to be a water slide? 
. Flooding in neighborhoods around the park is a major concern - can you imagine having to navigate flooded streets every time it rains? 
. It's all about adapting to climate change and becoming more resilient as a city. I love how the Parks Commissioner is framing public parks as "natural infrastructure" - it highlights just how important these green spaces are for our community's well-being 
. It's a win-win situation all around! 
the researchers found out those flash floods are gettin pretty nasty in surrounding neighborhoods... and it's all due to stormwater not drainin properly 
creating two new ponds and rain gardens sounds like a solid plan 
I've got a feelin' about this Bluebelt plan 
. They're gonna mess with the natural flow of water in Prospect Park and hope for the best? I'm all for helpin' out our neighbors, but we gotta make sure we ain't creatin' a whole new set of problems down the line. What if the stormwater gets stuck in them ponds or rain gardens? We don't wanna be dealin' with a whole lotta backup water 
. And what about the aesthetics? I'm not exactly sold on the idea of more ponds and green spaces, but hey, at least it's somethin' 
. It's like the park is gonna get its own drainage system, and it'll be able to handle heavy rain much better 
. And hey, creating two new ponds and rain gardens sounds amazing! It's not just about stopping flooding, but also giving the park a major upgrade 
.
what's up with this? like, our parks are supposed to be safe havens for nature and all but now we're basically turnin' them into reservoirs 
68 million bucks is a lot, but if it means people's homes aren't underwater during storms then it's worth it, right? 
. So yeah, if we can keep that water from spilling out into the streets, thats a win for everyone, especially the people living nearby 
I'm all for making our city more resilient, but we need to think about long-term solutions too. 
. Eight months without the zoo? That's like, forever for some people's kids 
. My grandma used to take me on walks through Prospect Park when I was a kid, and she always told me about how it was different back in the '70s 
. But hey, at least we're trying to do something about it now. Fingers crossed this plan works out 
!
. seriously tho, I'm all for our city taking proactive steps to deal with climate change 
.
. I mean, think about it - we all know that Brooklyn's getting hit with some serious storms lately, and the park's lake isn't doing its job like it used to. The idea of redirecting stormwater into the lake instead of letting it pour down onto the streets in surrounding neighborhoods is pure genius. And let's be real, $68 million isn't a ton of cash, but it's better than nothing 
.
. 68 million bucks is a small price to pay for preventing homes from being underwater and businesses from getting destroyed. i hope they actually get some of the designs right this time, all those ponds and rain gardens have to be more than just pretty to actually do something. 
, it's only logical that they'd take proactive measures to mitigate the risks. Redirecting stormwater into the park's lake is a genius move 
.
2 make prospect park lake into a flood control thingy 
parks comms Iris Rodriguez-Rosa says these public parks r more than just pretty spots they're also infrastructure 
. How many times has it worked in the past, and how effective is it really? Give me some hard numbers and sources, and then we can talk about whether or not this investment makes sense 