'Green' Median Project Undertaken Between North and South Conduit Aves. to Take Strain Off Sewers by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Construction worker labors North and South Conduit Aves. project, which would reduce rainfall flowing into city sewers.

The grassy median between North and South Conduit Aves. in Ozone Park has become a test area for one of the city's largest green infrastructure projects.

The 13,000-square-foot site will be transformed into a natural water filter in an effort to keep stormwater and rainwater from overwhelming the sewer system, according to officials from the city Department of Environmental Protection.

"It's an innovative, ecological, green way to treat stormwater," said John McLaughlin, director of the DEP's Office of Ecological Services. Instead of treating stormwater as waste "it should be viewed as a resource."

As part of the $730,000 project, the grass will be enhanced with trees, wildflowers and shrubs. But the major work will take place below the surface where a bio-retention zone will be created with vegetation, sand and soil.

It is designed to divert about 200,000 gallons of stormwater from existing sewer lines. That's about 90% of the water from a moderate storm.

The project is part of a larger citywide push to find more environmentally-friendly and cheaper ways to cleans stormwater, officials said.

Mayor Bloomberg announced in September the $2.4 billion NYC Green Infrastructure Plan. The goal is to cut the amount of sewer overflows by 40%.

In many parts of the city, stormwater and wastewater are carried through one sewer system. When that system is overwhelmed - often by a influx of stormwater - a mix of the two is discharged into New York Harbor.

The city has been looking for ways to divert some of that stormwater through so-called green roofs and other places where water can be naturally absorbed and cleaned.

The alternative is additional sewer infrastructure, which could cost billions, officials said.

The challenge is finding and creating patches of green, large and small, around the city.

Green spaces have disappeared in Queens and other parts of the city, partly because of overdevelopment. Lawns have been paved over and open tracts of green land have been replaced with commercial and residential buildings.

"One system alone may not make a dent in the combined sewer overflow problem," said DEP Deputy Commissioner Angela Licata. "The idea is to have several of these strategies in an area."

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com

'Green' Median Project between North and South Conduit Aves. to Take Strain Off Sewers by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Construction worker labors North and South Conduit Aves. project, which would reduce rainfall flowing into city sewers.

The grassy median between North and South Conduit Aves. in Ozone Park has become a test area for one of the city's largest green infrastructure projects.

The 13,000-square-foot site will be transformed into a natural water filter in an effort to keep stormwater and rainwater from overwhelming the sewer system, according to officials from the city Department of Environmental Protection.

"It's an innovative, ecological, green way to treat stormwater," said John McLaughlin, director of the DEP's Office of Ecological Services. Instead of treating stormwater as waste "it should be viewed as a resource."

As part of the $730,000 project, the grass will be enhanced with trees, wildflowers and shrubs. But the major work will take place below the surface where a bio-retention zone will be created with vegetation, sand and soil.

It is designed to divert about 200,000 gallons of stormwater from existing sewer lines. That's about 90% of the water from a moderate storm.

The project is part of a larger citywide push to find more environmentally-friendly and cheaper ways to cleans stormwater, officials said.

Mayor Bloomberg announced in September the $2.4 billion NYC Green Infrastructure Plan. The goal is to cut the amount of sewer overflows by 40%.

In many parts of the city, stormwater and wastewater are carried through one sewer system. When that system is overwhelmed - often by a influx of stormwater - a mix of the two is discharged into New York Harbor.

The city has been looking for ways to divert some of that stormwater through so-called green roofs and other places where water can be naturally absorbed and cleaned.

The alternative is additional sewer infrastructure, which could cost billions, officials said.

The challenge is finding and creating patches of green, large and small, around the city.

Green spaces have disappeared in Queens and other parts of the city, partly because of overdevelopment. Lawns have been paved over and open tracts of green land have been replaced with commercial and residential buildings.

"One system alone may not make a dent in the combined sewer overflow problem," said DEP Deputy Commissioner Angela Licata. "The idea is to have several of these strategies in an area."

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com

Fatal Crash Kills Beloved Young Brooklyn Sad on 'Deathtrap' Street by Ryan Lavis, Rocco Parascandola & Barry Paddock - NY Times

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A young father died in a fatal crash on what neighbors called a 'deathtrap' street.

Twisted metal and a white sheet over the body of a beloved young dad dramatically tell the story of a crash that left a Brooklyn family grieving and a Queens neighborhood reeling.

Geraud Gray, 24, of East Flatbush, lost control of his black 2003 Nissan on a curve, slamming into the pole on North Conduit Ave. near 78th St. in Ozone Park about 10:16 a.m. yesterday, authorities said.

Witnesses reported he was speeding and driving erratically on a stretch of North Conduit Ave. that's a hot spot for drag-racing, cops said.

Witnesses told cops they saw two other vehicles speed by moments before Gray crashed.

"It was mangled," stunned neighbor Jackie Pellegrino, 60, said of the car, which wound up flipped over on its roof.

"This street is a deathtrap," agreed her daughter, Jodie, 33. "I wouldn't even walk my dog on this street. I'm petrified."

Amazingly, an 18-year-old man in the passenger seat somehow survived and is in stable condition at Brookdale University Hospital, authorities said. His name was not released.

Gray, who worked for FedEx, had a 2-year-old son.

"He was loved by all," said friend Selly Richards, 41. "He was a family man. He spent a lot of time with his kid."

bpaddock@nydailynews.com

Photo and video by: Todd Maisel - Daily News