Thursday, February 14, 2008

Jim's sewer fix

Environmentalists and Queens community leaders hailed the passage last week of City Councilmember James Gennaro's stormwater management plan, aimed at ending basement floodings following heavy rain- and snow falls in various parts of the city, including Queens.

Gennaro's Stormwater Mgt. Plan Hailed By Environmentalists

When signed into law, the Gennaro legislation will require the city to draft a sustainable stormwater management plan by October 1 of this year.

Currently, heavy rains flood local streets, creating small lakes which render streets and highways impassable. Overflow runs into nearby homes, causing often irremediable damage.

Gennaro said another byproduct of the huge floods is the causing of 27 billion gallons of untreated sewage and storm water to be discharged into the city's waters in a typical year.

One result of these combined sewer overflows is the dumping of hazardous pathogens into the city's water bodies, posing a danger to public health, harming ecology and making local water bodies unsuitable for recreational activities.

The stormwater management plan, as outlined in Gennaro's legislation, relies heavily upon source control measures- capturing, storing and diverting stormwater before it reaches streets and sewers in the first place, Gennaro said.

Some of the progressive techniques of collecting the water include water barrels on "blue roofs" and underground cisterns to capture and store rainwater, encouraging green roofs, green streets and green walls, all of which use soil and vegetation to absorb rainwater, and installing high-level storm sewers that separate stormwater from sanitary waste.


Photo from Queens Gazette

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally, Gennaro gets the credit he deserves!

Anonymous said...

Gennaro deserves nothing - never did, and never will. His be all and end all is simply photo op opportunities. If he can get himself into a pic with someone important, he's happy. Name one thing he has actually accomplished for his own Community.

Anonymous said...

Well, that puts a damper on Ms. Corcoran's "Pave your front lawn!" campaign.

Anonymous said...

OK...now lets push them to tell us how many people this 'new' system can sustain.

Then take about 30% off that figure.

Anonymous said...

Gennaro reminds me of David Letterman and his comments on Mitt (or is it Mutt) Rommney.

"..he looks like the guy that ignored Tarzan's warnings … looks like a guy wearing a golf shirt in an Eddie Bauer catalogue. … He looks like the desk clerk at a Peninsula Hotel who tells you your room's not ready. … looks like the guy at a party who gives you his card. … He looks like a tennis pro at a restricted country club. … He looks like a jet blue pilot who comes out to greet the passengers during the delay. ... looks like the guy who says to the contestant, 'We're out of time, can you come back tomorrow?'"

Anonymous said...

Wow, Anon #2, you are an idiot ! He has provided MILLIONS of dollars to schools throughout his district and improved all of the parkland in his district. Find some other point to pick on you moron.

Anonymous said...

#5 He has not provided millions of dollars,it is tax payers $$. You must admit he can't resist a camera,and loves to hear himself talk thru both sides of his mouth that is.

Anonymous said...

Some of the progressive techniques of collecting the water include water barrels on "blue roofs" and underground cisterns to capture and store rainwater, encouraging green roofs, green streets and green walls

Some of this is a bit funky and a stretch - but at least this guy is going out on a limb for an issue that has had serious implications since last summer. I rather see legislation attempting to solve problems rather than a Vallone talking about grafiti art on cola cans and Pinky Gallegar appearing in court for rape.

Maybe others on the council will see this as something that see can help out local residential problems.

Anonymous said...

Well, Anonymous 6, you might want to learn how to read. I said "in his community", not "in his district". I don't think Jamaica Estates' major concern right now is parkland.