November 17, 2022

Notification is hereby given to the public of the intent of the Department of Homeland Security-Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS-FEMA) to provide federal funding to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) as Subrecipient for financial assistance to install flood control measures, including nature-based detention and retention basins, at eight locations within the Clinton Houses public housing development in the Manhattan neighborhood of East Harlem. Funds are being requested through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The purpose of the BRIC grant program is to proactively invest in hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks that communities face from disasters and natural hazards. This notification is given in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 11988 (Floodplain Management), EO 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act, and 44 CFR Part 9, regulations for implementing EO 11988 and EO 11990.

The proposed project entails the installation of eight sites with green infrastructure interventions at the Clinton Houses development. These interventions will include infiltration-based stormwater system units placed under and above existing open spaces such as basketball courts, parking lots, and other locations. A conveyance system comprising of inlets, perforated pipes, spreader tanks and small bioretention nature-based channels will be utilized to route the rainfall runoff from the Clinton Houses development and surrounding streets into the eight sites. Several sites may also include “water squares,” which will allow for water to be stored above ground (up to one foot) in the proposed locations. These sites will be integrated into the community as multi-functional open spaces able to store excessive rainfall runoff while incorporating green infrastructure and nature-based designs.

This action would take place within the 100-year floodplain per the current preliminary flood insurance rate map, which means that the action has the potential to affect, or be affected by, the floodplain. Alternatives considered include: 1) taking no action and 2) the proposed alternative to install the green infrastructure at the Clinton Houses development. FEMA has determined that the proposed alternative is the most practicable to combat the increasing threat of stormwater flooding that is known to impact this community. FEMA has also determined that investment of funds to reduce flood risk is in the public interest. Potential impacts to water quality or aquatic habitat are anticipated to be negligible during construction and minimized through best management practices and conservation measures incorporated from resource agency recommendations and required regulatory permits.

Comments about this project, potential alternatives, and floodplain impacts may be submitted in writing within 15 days of the date of this publication to: FEMA Region 2, Attn: Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY, 10278 or via email to FEMAR2COMMENT@fema.dhs.gov. If substantive comments are received, FEMA will evaluate and address the comments as part of the environmental documentation for this project.