Stormwater drainage upgrades at NYC hospitals: Enhancing resilience and mitigating flood risks

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) joined with NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and the global design and consultancy firm Arcadis in March 2025 to announce the ongoing stormwater drainage upgrades at the Jacobi Hospital campus.

DEP is investing nearly $5 million to build stormwater drainage and storage systems beneath three of the parking lots on the campus through its Resilient NYC Partners program.

When completed, the stormwater drainage and storage systems will be able to capture more than 5 million gallons of water per year. The project will not only help to protect the hospital’s facilities, staff and visitors, but also create additional capacity in the larger Pelham Parkway sewer system, helping to reduce flooding throughout the neighborhood.

DEP and Arcadis, who is managing the construction at each site, recently completed similar upgrades at Flushing Hospital in Queens and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with a $1.78 million investment.

“Climate change is bringing more rain to New York City than our drainage systems were built to handle, which is why we’re investing in upgrades to protect New Yorkers in every neighborhood,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala in a press release. “Thank you to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, Arcadis, and all of our partners for helping us complete these important upgrades for the residents and businesses in Pelham Parkway, as well as Flushing and Clinton Hill.”

At Jacobi Hospital, teams installed stormwater storage systems under parking lots 1, 3 and 4. Construction crews and hospital management sequenced the installation to ensure only one lot was closed at a time, limiting impact on hospital staff, patients, and visitors. For each system, the existing asphalt was removed, as well as the rock and soil below it, to a depth of 6-8 feet. Crews then installed specially designed subsurface drainage and storage infrastructure, placed gravel and soil on top of it, and laid new asphalt to rebuild the parking area.

When completed, the stormwater drainage and storage systems at Jacobi Hospital will manage runoff from 7 acres of impervious area. The systems are composed of over 16,000 individual tanks which can collectively store nearly 400,000 gallons. Parking lots 1 and 3 are completed and will capture 2.81 million gallons and 1.04 million gallons a year, respectively. Lot 4, which is currently under construction, will capture 1.40 million gallons a year. These projects will help to alleviate flooding and address chronic drainage issues at Jacobi. Moreover, by creating additional capacity in the sewer system, the project helps to improve the health of Westchester Creek and mitigate flood risks to the Pelham Parkway sewer system.

The stormwater drainage and storage systems at Jacobi Hospital advance a core commitment of NYC Health + Hospitals’ Climate Resilience Plan, a series of infrastructure projects to ensure the sustainability and resiliency of the public health system’s facilities in the face of climate change. Creating a stormwater flood mitigation system will ensure staff and patients can continue to access the hospital for critically needed services during periods of heavy or extreme rainfall.

Additionally, DEP and Arcadis have recently completed similar work at Flushing Hospital and Pratt Institute.

At Flushing Hospital, the Emergency Room lot was rebuilt with subsurface drainage infrastructure that will capture 390,000 gallons of stormwater annually, reducing flooding and improving the health of nearby Flushing Creek. Additional drainage upgrades are being scheduled at the hospital for the coming months. The work at the Emergency Room lot cost $286,000.

Pratt Institute is located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and the drainage upgrades took place at two parking lots on campus. Drainage infrastructure built under the Institute’s North Lot will capture 760,000 gallons of stormwater each year, while the rebuilt Main Lot will detain 990,000 gallons annually. This work is complete and will help to reduce flooding in the neighborhood as well as keep pollution out of the East River. The project cost $1.5 million.