Project aims to manage stormwater runoff at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery is taking a significant step toward environmental responsibility with an innovative stormwater mitigation project.

The initiative, one of the largest of its kind on private property in New York City, aims to manage an estimated 51 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually.

Joseph Charap, Green-Wood Cemetery’s vice president of horticulture, explained the project’s components and its significance for the community. “So what this is, is a way to prevent water from hitting the combined sewer,” Charap said.

Despite having a 4-mile fence around Green-Wood Cemetery, Charap emphasized the cemetery’s commitment to the community. “We are a part of this community, and we have to do as good of a job as possible to steward this landscape for the benefit of our neighbors.”

The project combines several strategies to address stormwater runoff. A key element of the project is a smart system installed at the cemetery’s largest pond, Sylvan Water. This system uses weather station data to predict rainfall and control water discharge into the city’s combined sewer system, which carries both wastewater and stormwater.

“This technology anticipates rainfall releases and closes off the access point so no water leaves the pond during a storm event. We’re basically eliminating Green-Wood’s contribution to combined sewer overflows, which have caused sewage backups and flooding in nearby homes in the past,” Charap explained.

The project also involves replacing asphalt with permeable pavers that allow water to seep through and absorb naturally into the ground. Additionally, a 66,000-gallon storage tank has been installed underground to minimize future flooding.

“Another way water will enter that tank is through this rain garden, with native plants that can survive in periodic flooding. The water will come into here and will be held during storm events,” Charap noted.

A new rainwater harvesting system at Sylvan Water will enable the cemetery to use pond water for landscape irrigation, reducing reliance on the city’s potable water. “All of these elements that we’ll look at today prevent 55 million gallons of water from hitting the combined sewer annually,” Charap added.

By reducing the cemetery’s impact on the sewer system, the project protects the surrounding neighborhood from flooding and pollution.

This project, funded by a combination of grants from New York State’s Green Innovation Grant Program and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient NYC Partners program, exemplifies how private institutions can contribute to climate resilience. “The results are very impactful,” said Charap.

As Green-Wood Cemetery continues its fight against climate change, Charap hopes the initiative serves as a model for how public and private entities can collaborate to increase urban resilience against climate change, paving the way for similar projects across the city and beyond.

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