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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 386-07
October 24, 2007

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES $35 MILLION MAJOR SEWER UPGRADE ON STATEN ISLAND

Series of Improvements - the Largest Project of Its Kind Ever on Staten Island - Will Connect Annadale Neighborhood to Municipal Sewer System and Expand Bluebelt System, a Proposal of PlaNYC

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced a $35 million sewer enhancement project on the South Shore of Staten Island that will connect nearly 40 blocks of homes and businesses to the municipal sewer system for the first time. The project, the largest of its kind ever on Staten Island, includes the installation of water mains and catch basins in the Annadale neighborhood, and the expansion of the borough's Bluebelt system of natural drainage corridors to improve water quality. When the enhancements are completed in the summer of 2009, 220 families and 30 local businesses will be able to eliminate their use of septic systems. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd, Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner David Burney, AIA, and Councilman Vincent Ignizio joined the Mayor at the announcement on Albee Avenue in Staten Island.

"Over the last six years, we have made historic investments in our infrastructure - including putting more money than ever before towards the construction of the Third Water Tunnel - and this project furthers those efforts by connecting homes that currently rely on septic systems to our municipal sewer system," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Not only will it improve the quality of life for residents in Annadale, it will also improve the quality of our waterways through an expansion of the Bluebelt system, one of the 127 initiatives of PlaNYC."

Constructed by DDC on behalf of DEP and the Department of Transportation (DOT), the project, which started this summer, will install larger and more reliable water mains, improved catch basins and enhanced sanitary sewers along 40 blocks bounded by Arden Avenue, North Railroad Street, Drumgoole Road East and North Railroad Street. Some blocks of the project will receive storm and sanitary sewer service for the first time ever, allowing 250 properties to discontinue use of septic systems, which can pose health and safety dangers. The installation of new catch basins will improve storm drainage and help prevent flooding. Once the upgrades to the sewer system are complete, DDC will rebuild the roadway and install new curbs and corner rounds. DDC constructs New York City's sewers and water mains for DEP, the agency that operates and maintains them.

The project also includes the construction of two Bluebelts, natural drainage areas that mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff and improve water quality by collecting and filtering water before it enters the city's waterways. The Bluebelts, which collectively total two acres in size and are located in the Sweet Brook watershed, will require extensive planting and restoration of natural areas. In addition, the City will plant approximately 450 trees on the street and in the Bluebelts, which will not only help manage storm runoff but will also help improve property values.

"DEP has made giving Staten Island the sewer system it deserves a top priority," said Commissioner Lloyd. "This project has all the elements we need - providing homes with connections to sewers where none existed, separating storm water from sanitary sewage and expanding Staten Island's Bluebelt system to detain and filter stormwater sustainably."

"This extensive infrastructure project will bring improved water and sewer service to a growing section of Staten Island," said Commissioner Burney. "Through the use of our Best Management Practices, the project also contains a unique sustainable element, controlling storm water through the creation of a natural wetland."

Over the past six years, DDC has completed 76 infrastructure projects on Staten Island including water mains, roadway reconstruction and sanitary sewers on Staten Island. DEP has aggressively built out the storm and sanitary sewer systems on the South Shore over the past decade, including the introduction of sanitary and storm sewers to blocks that previously used septic systems. After the current North Railroad project is complete, DEP is planning several future projects to upgrade the sewer system in surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition to the North Railroad project, DEP is building the New Creek Bluebelt System, which will serve approximately 2,000 acres in Mid-Island. Created in 1997, the Staten Island Bluebelt system covers nearly 10,000 acres and over the next 25 years, as part of PlaNYC, the City will add an additional 4,000 acres in the borough and will expand the program to other boroughs. To date, the Bluebelt program has saved the City an estimated $80 million in infrastructure costs, and property values in the immediate vicinity of the completed Bluebelt drainage corridors have consistently appreciated.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Matthew Kelly   (212) 788-2958

Matthew Monahan   (Department of Design and Construction)
(718) 391-1641

Michael Saucier/Mercedes Padilla   (Department of Environmental Protection)
(718) 595-6600




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