So excited about the new bioswales that now grace Dean Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues.

The four bioswales, which are enhanced tree pits that retain and filter 1,870 gallons of stormwater per pit every time it rains, are part of a $2.4 billion Green Infrastructure Plan to manage stormwater runoff, reduce combined sewer overflows and improve water quality in the Gowanus Canal in the next 20 years. 

“We are on a living, working, New York City street,” said Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Carter Strickland at the unveiling of the bioswales, the first of their kind in the city. “I think what you see in front of you are elements coming together of a 21st century street.”

The green infrastructures, which are tiny ecosystems spanning 20 feet long, five feet wide and five feet deep, will prevent 7,200 gallons of stormwater from entering the sewer system each time it rains. They are designed with two curb cuts, so water comes in on one end, is absorbed by the plants and tree, a system of dirt, gravel and a filtering net, and what water is left comes out by the other curb cut and goes into the sewer. 

“They help beautify the street, but most importantly, our infrastructure that is largely hidden under ground, is brought to the surface so people can understand the important work we do everyday by keeping stormwater off the streets,” Strickland said.

It’s about time. Better start buying property before everyone else figures out that it’s the Street of the Future!