8/1/2016

NYC Soil & Water Conservation District has constructed and maintains ten green infrastructure sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. These projects range from green roofs to rain gardens to stormwater capture planters. See some of our stormwater capture planters in the slideshow below. These planters divert rooftop runoff from the downspout into planter boxes. The downspout diverter is connected to a rain barrel that controls the water level in the planters. From the rain barrel, rain water is piped to one or multiple planter boxes, where water is either detained and slowly reenters the sewer system or evaporates. Water in excess of the maximum volume will overflow into the existing sewer line. ​See our 2014 green infrastructure report for a listing of our projects through 2014! (Does not include two of the sites below, which were constructed after 2014).

At Rochester Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

At Rochester Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Piping from the rain barrel to the planters at Rochester site.

Downspout planters on Fulton Street in the South Bronx.

Reminder to turn the valve off in the winter, to avoid water freezing and cracking the pipes or rain barrel. In the winter, water goes directly to the sewer instead of being diverted to the planters.

Downspout diversion system from a planter on 153rd Street in Upper Manhattan.