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In recent years, torrential downpours have led to severe flooding in some parts of New York City, particularly inconveniencing locals who live inside basement-level apartments.
In 2023, flooding got so bad in some parts of the tri-state area that dozens of New Yorkers died, prompting the city to finally look into much-needed preventing measures.
This week, the Department of Environmental Protection unveiled a new plan meant to mitigate the floods: porous pavement that absorbs water during heavy rainfall.
The agency has already started installing the new flooring along several roads near 37th Street and 12th Avenue in Brooklyn's Borough Park.
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The city plans to spend $35 million over the course of a year to install seven miles of the porous concrete across Sunset Park, Kensington and Borough Park, areas of Brooklyn that are particularly prone to flooding, per FOX 5.
Ideally, the flooring will help relieve the strained sewer system during heavy rains, keeping millions of gallons of stormwater away from the sewage system.
Drainage cells and stones will aid in that process as well, providing structural support, storage and drainage assistance.
“Climate change is bringing with it rainstorms that can overwhelm our sewers and cause flooding across the five boroughs, which is why we are investing in tools that will divert rainwater away from the sewer system, such as porous pavement,” NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said in an official statement. “Brooklyn got hit particularly hard by Tropical Storm Ophelia last September and this new porous pavement will help to ease pressure on the sewer system and protect residents during future storms.”
As the warming planet makes freak storms more common, severe flooding in the city is likely going to become more frequent, too.
According to a report by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), sea levels in New York will continue to rise between half-a-foot and just over a foot all the way through the 2030s. Rainfall is expected to increase by up to 10% each year until then.
Let's hope these new floor slabs will make the situation better all around.