Prospect Expressway Water Pumping Station Gets $10 Mil: City

WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN — A local stormwater pumping station will be able to handle more water due to a $10 million upgrade, the Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday.

The station, located on the border of Windsor Terrace and Kensington, will in 2020 get three new pumps that will allow the pumping station to handle 16 million gallons of stormwater per day— up from the current 10 million gallons, according to DEP. The upgrade of the pumping station, one of 96 such facilities in the five boroughs, will also include a replacement of its fans, piping and electrical equipment, the city said.

And while the people who work at the station have to close a lane on the expressway to get into the facility, a new Ocean Parkway service road entrance will allow employees to enter without doing so, according to DEP.

“As we upgrade our infrastructure we must take into account the changing climate and more intense rain storms, which is why we are investing $10 million to increase the capacity of the Prospect Expressway Pump Station by 50 percent," DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said.

Local elected officials are also on board with the capacity-increasing plan for the facility, which was built in 1959.

“I am pleased that DEP is upgrading the Stormwater Pumping Station at the Prospect Expressway," said Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte. "Foresight and planning on the upgrade of our systems pays off for a safer and healthier environment.”

Assembly Member Robert Carroll said DEP is planning "important and necessary upgrades."

"As the threat of climate change intensifies, we must remain focused on maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure," he added. "It is critical that this project be completed as soon as possible.”