WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Designing Drainage Master Plan in New York
WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been awarded a contract to develop a drainage master plan for a 40-square-mile area in Orange County, N.Y.
The Town of Blooming Grove and adjacent villages were among the 102 storm-affected communities across New York selected to participate in the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) program announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in April 2013. As part of the program, the Town of Blooming Grove developed a plan that identified the most critical needs and impacts from recent major storms and highlighted potential solutions to bolster future resiliency, increase safety and quality of life and create incentives for economic growth. The town has been allotted up to $3 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program for implementation of eligible projects identified in its preliminary plan.
In creating a comprehensive drainage master plan for the town, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff performed the inspection and survey of over 300 assets, including dams, levees, floodwalls, bridges, culverts and buildings located in the floodplain. The firm also developed comprehensive hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of all local waterways, lakes and drainage systems; performed analysis of the critical stormwater issues affecting residents; and identified and analyzed locations throughout the watershed to implement flood mitigation measures. The flood mitigation measures currently being analyzed include increasing flood storage capacities; developing comprehensive lake management plans based on precipitation forecasts; dam removal; upgrading bridges and culverts; building flood protection structures in strategic locations; improving engineered stormwater systems and management practices; and decoupling stormwater systems and rivers during significant floods.
WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff will coordinate the planning process with the towns and villages that border the NYRCR plan area and will assist the town of Blooming Grove in preparation of the CDBG-DR project application.