New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams introduced legislation, the Catch Basin Clean Up Act, Intro 1185-2023, that would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to better inspect and repair catch basin systems around the city.
The legislation is part of an array of environmental initiatives that the Public Advocate is sponsoring to better protect New Yorkers, and their homes and businesses, from the effects of climate change and the lack of adequate drainage infrastructure in various parts of the city. Neighborhoods like South East Queens routinely experience inland pooling and flooding, a financial and quality-of-life burden for homeowners and business owners alike.
"Far too many of our neighborhoods suffer from pooling water and costly flooding after rain storms. We must take an all-hands-on-deck approach to addressing the effects of this climate crisis," said Public Advocate Williams. "I've long heard complaints from our neighbors, including South East Queens residents, about the lack of adequate infrastructure to handle these weather events. As the city moves to improve our aging infrastructure, this law will permanently ensure that clogged catch basins—which lead to flooding—are inspected and quickly repaired. Our neighbors deserve nothing less than immediate action by the city to which they pay taxes."
Although efforts have been made to install storm sewers in places like Rosedale, St. Albans, and South Jamaica, Queens, pooling and flooding continue to be a problem in these and other neighborhoods. Catch basins are part of an overall solution to bring relief to these residents. While a Council Member in 2015, Williams passed legislation, Local Law 48 of 2015, that required annual inspections of and semi-annual reporting on the condition of catch basins, and set a nine-day mandatory response time to respond to any reports of clogged catch basins. The law expired three years later.
The new legislation, which updates the 2015 law and does not expire, requires twice-yearly inspections of catch basins in residential areas prone to flooding, flood zones, and commercial zones. It also requires yearly inspections of basins around parks and other areas. All basins will need to be repaired within five days after a complaint or inspection. The bill also requires quarterly reports on these efforts.
According to the DEP, "flooding due to heavy rain events has occurred more frequently and severely than in the past, affecting a broader range of communities than ever." The Department is responsible for monitoring, cleaning, and repairing catch basins. It accomplishes this through inspections of every system in the city and in responding to 311 calls from New Yorkers indicating a clogged or broken storm drain. The most recent DEP "State of the Sewers 2022" and Mayor's Management (2022) reports state that during the first four months of FY2022, Hurricanes Henri and Ida caused 29 inches of rain and a 113 percent increase in sewer backup complaints; and between 2018 and 2022, the average repair time for basins was 5.7 days.
There are more than 150,000 catch basins in the city.
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