The 11 Year Fight is Over

With the Ridgewood Reservoir finally being designated as a historic landmark and the majority of it's 50 acres now protected as wetlands, it is time to wrap things up here.

My first posting was on March 7, 2007. Unless things change, this will be my last. The blog, however, will remain online as an archive of the community struggle to protect this special place. Thank you for your support.

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Congratulation Messages

Since word has gotten out about the successful campaign to protect the Ridgewood Reservoir all of the folks involved have been sending/receiving congratulations messages. I thought I'd share one of the more poignant notes. It was from Mickey Cohen. Mickey is a naturalist and, more important, a New York State certified wetlands delineator. Many years ago he surveyed the reservoir habitats for us and created a report of his findings. That report, ultimately was one of the key pieces that helped clinch the state protection that we needed. Here is his email:

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On Jan 9, 2019, at 1:01 PM, Mickey Maxwell Cohen wrote:

Good morning, Steve, and congratulations upon the Ridgewood Reservoir wetlands finally having been recognized as worthy of protection.

I have a few recollections of those February days in 2009 when I spent much of my time among the reservoir basins . It was fairly easy to rappel down the sides of the basin; the real challenge was climbing out again after a long day among the wetlands. The pleasure of spending hours taking soil samples and matching color with those depicted in the Munsell Soil Color Charts, drilling two-feet deep cores, identifying dozens of plants solely on the basis of winter buds, and occasional surprise discoveries, such as the spying a buckeye butterfly, Janonia coenia, sunning itself in a protective niche of a birch tree. February days were short, requiring an early start to avail myself of limited daylight, so I’d conserve time by dining on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches washed down with coffee or tea or whatever Barbara stored in my thermos.

The experience was physically uncomfortable at times but mostly joyful in ways that only a solitary naturalist might understand. I had little confidence at that time that years later the entire complex might be recognized by today's authorities as the ecological gem that it is, and I thank them, Rob Jett and you for making that a reality.

I wish you continued success in your endeavors.

Mickey Maxwell Cohen

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PROTECTION FOR THE RESERVOIR AT LAST!!!

The Ridgewood Reservoir Wetlands Declaration can be read in its entirety HERE.


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It's Official!

From the Queens Gazette:

Ridgewood Reservoir Now Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
2018-02-14 / Front Page

The National Park Service moved rapidly to add the Ridgewood Reservoir to the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 2018. The Reservoir was listed on the New York State Historic Register on December 7, 2017 with Federal approval initially anticipated for April, 2018.

NYC H2O, a nonprofit that provides education programs on New York City’s water system and ecology, wrote the Historic Register Application for the Reservoir. Since 2014, NYC H2O has brought 3,000 Brooklyn and Queens students on free Water Ecology and Engineering field trips to the Ridgewood Reservoir to experience New York City’s water system up close and learn to appreciate their city’s reliance on natural and engineered systems for clean water.

NYC H2O’s Executive Director Matt Malina testified at the New York State hearing that, “The Ridgewood Reservoir is a majestic place that deserves to be listed on the National Historic Register as a cultural and ecological treasure to be discovered by generations to come. In the course of bringing a new generation of New Yorkers to visit and experience the site, we realized that that we had become stakeholders in advocating for its preservation. The support of elected officials, community leaders and organizations has been critical to preventing its demolition and in advocating for its future.”

“For years, our community has been fighting to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir, and today’s accomplishment is an important milestone,” said Congress Member Nydia M. Velázquez. “The Reservoir is a piece of living history that transcends generations of New Yorkers. What was once a feat of engineering is now home to a diverse array of flourishing wildlife. This history deserves to be cemented on the National Register of Historic Places.”

State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., a member of the NYS Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation, agreed. “Having the Ridgewood Reservoir recognized on the New York State Historic Register back in December, and now having it listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is an amazing achievement.” “I am pleased to see that the National Park Service moved so quickly to place the Ridgewood Reservoir on the list, officially preserving its natural beauty, its historic context to Brooklyn and Queens, and its educational importance to students for future generations. Congratulations again to NYC H2O and all the advocates who fought for the preservation of the reservoir. My thanks to all who worked tirelessly on protecting the Ridgewood Reservoir.”

His colleague, NYS Senator Michael Gianaris, added, “The Ridgewood Reservoir is an environmental gem for the residents of both Brooklyn and Queens that will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.”

The historic Ridgewood Reservoir is a 50-acre natural oasis that serves diverse communities on the Brooklyn/Queens border. The Reservoir is located today in Highland Park, which is run by the New York City Parks Department. It was built in 1859 to supply the once independent City of Brooklyn with high quality water. Its increasingly vast scale still did not suffice to quench the needs of the fourth largest city in the country. Water thus helped drive Brooklyn’s 1898 consolidation with New York City. The Reservoir itself only became obsolete with the addition of new reservoirs in the Catskills in the 1950s.

By 1989, it was mostly drained. Since then, nature took its own course and has provided New Yorkers with a perfect case study of ecological succession. A lush and dense forest has grown in the two outside basins—each with a unique variety of flora—while a freshwater pond with waterfowl sits in the middle basin. That pond is on the path of the Atlantic Flyway and is an important source of freshwater to migrating birds from nearby Jamaica Bay.

Today we see a 19th-century feat of engineering whose intact, large basins are surrounded by parkland. The Ridgewood Reservoir provides us with a cautionary and ultimately inspiring tale as to how citizens can work together to protect a site whose adaptive reuse ensues from its being reclaimed by nature.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said, “The Ridgewood Reservoir was an engineering marvel in the 19th century and merits recognition as a landmark in urban history, engineering history and environmental history. The reservoir offers insight into the environmental history of Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County, and as such is an invaluable opportunity to study nature.”

“As a strong supporter of preserving the Ridgewood Reservoir, my thanks to NYS Parks for adding this wonderful site to both Historic Registry lists” said Assembly Member Catherine Nolan. “Thank you to Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYS Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey, Queens Community Board 5, NYC H2O and all of the residents and organizations that have advocated for the reservoir over the last decade. It is important to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir for future generations”.

“The recent listing of the Ridgewood Reservoir on the National Register of Historic places is wonderful news and a great victory for the community and area activists along with myself and the other elected officials. We have advocated and supported this mission because the Ridgewood Reservoir is a cultural and ecological treasure. The Reservoir contains over 100 species of birds and wildlife. This special listing for the reservoir will forever protect it from development and preserve it for generations to come,” said NYS Assembly Member Mike Miller.

“I have always believed that it is important to protect our cultural treasures. I’m proud to have supported the listing of this site to the New York State Register of Historic Places, and now the National Register of Historic Places, both of which will preserve this wetland as an excellent environment to study nature and Brooklyn’s history for future generations. We thank NYC H2O for taking the lead in writing the Historic Register proposal,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Said NYC Council Member Rafael Espinal, “I congratulate NYC H2O and all those who worked hard to make sure this treasure is placed on the National Register of Historic Places so that it may be preserved and maintained. This designation is a true testament to the beauty, history, and value of the Ridgewood Reservoir.”

“While the Reservoir no longer provides necessary water supply to residents, it stands as a testament to the ingenuity of New Yorkers, who, when faced with a problem like a water shortage, undertake stunning engineering and urban planning projects in order to create solutions. I am so grateful for the efforts of local advocates, under the leadership of NYC H2O, in securing protection for this incredible site,” said City Council Member Robert Holden.

“We are thrilled that the Ridgewood Reservoir has been recognized by the National Park Service for its unique historic value, ecological richness, and exceptional character,” said NYC Parks’ Queens Borough Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. “NYC Parks is fully committed to working with the community to further enhance the reservoir and preserve the site as natural open space.”

The NY State and National Historic Register filing is available for download here:

http://www.nych2o.org/ridgewood-reservoir-historic-register.html.

The National Historic Register approval is listed here:

https://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20180202.htm.

Historic and contemporary photos of the Reservoir can be viewed at www.drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B2tlHSn1_l6FdlhPbHUtbWR4eUk?usp=sharing

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More Wetland Support

Just published in the Queens Courier:

Ridgewood Reservoir gets another supporter in the push for federal wetland designation
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez wants to see the Ridgewood Reservoir receive Wetland Designation.

By Anthony Giudice / agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com / Thursday, July 20, 2017 / 11:00 AM

The push to grant the Ridgewood Reservoir federal recognition as a wetland under the Freshwater Wetlands Act got another supporter: Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez.

On July 11, the Congresswoman wrote a letter to Eileen Murphy, the director of Congressional and Federal Affairs with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), outlining her support of the reservoir becoming designated as a wetland.

“The Ridgewood Reservoir is a local environmental gem that we should protect for future generations,” Velázquez said in a statement. “Granting the reservoir wetland status would [mean] that legal environmental protections under the Freshwater Wetlands Act would be extended to the reservoir, aiding its preservation.”

In her letter, Velázquez noted the reservoir’s history of serving the Queens and Brooklyn communities as a water supply, as well as an asset to Highland Park by providing flood protection by holding back water and slowing stormwater runoff.

She also pointed out the Ridgewood Reservoir’s importance to the ecological environments created by the reservoir and its three basins, and its use as an educational tool for local schools and residents.

“We strongly believe the Ridgewood Reservoir merits said wetland designation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for its urban, engineering and environmental significance,” Velázquez wrote. “We respectfully urge you to exercise your authority and render this designation.”
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Village Voice Article

The following piece was just published in the "Village Voice":

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Saving Queens’ Secret Wetlands
by Ryan Goldberg
June 27, 2017

Asters grow around the old reservoir. courtesy Matt Malina / NYCH20

One early-March afternoon in 2007, Rob Jett climbed through a hole in a chain-link fence and thought he had entered a lost world.

He and two fellow bird-watchers rappelled into a dense swamp forest of birch and sweetgum, mosses and lichens. They were standing in ankle-deep water in the west basin of the 160-year-old Ridgewood Reservoir, the last vestige of Brooklyn’s old waterworks, smack on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. Inside this wilderness, the sounds of the city faded away above the reservoir’s stone levees.

“We were like, ‘Holy shit,’ ” Jett told the Voice.

Jett, 61, had never seen a place like it, even though he had grown up only two miles away and for years had been writing about bird-watching throughout the city.

The reservoir was once important to the growth of Brooklyn as it became one of the largest cities in the country. Steam engines pumped the water into the three reservoir basins and then gravity carried it downhill as it traveled under city streets, into people’s homes.

But the reservoir was drained and abandoned in 1989, and within a single generation nature had reclaimed the basins and transformed them into a swamp-forest mix unlike any in the city.

Jett and his companions — married couple Steve Nanz and Heidi Steiner — crawled underneath vines straddling the path between the west and central basins.

They saw signs of paintball matches and tire tracks from dirt bikes and ATVs. All the lampposts were smashed. They daydreamed about the possibilities for the fifty-acre site: boardwalks through two of the basins and a nature center inside one of the two derelict redbrick gatehouses.

Their ideas conjured something similar to the High Line project, which was then being designed: a piece of obsolete urban infrastructure integrated with nature.

Until Wednesday, June 21, the city had never held the same view as the bird-watchers. Originally, the parks department, which acquired the reservoir from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2004, presented $50 million plans that would have bulldozed it for athletic fields. The reservoir remains standing because of a small group of naturalists, preservationists, and community activists who rallied to defend it as a nature preserve and historic jewel.

Ridgewood Reservoir circa 1887. George Brainerd

At the community meeting in Glendale last Wednesday, Queens parks commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski confirmed that Parks would no longer push for active recreation at the reservoir. The roughly sixty attendees offered proposals for the site that were similar to those first imaginings — limited trails inside the outer basins, a nature center, scenic overlooks, removal of invasive flora. Parks’ budget is $9 million.

To the reservoir’s supporters, the timing was still worrisome: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) still hasn’t labeled the reservoir a wetlands. By law, such a designation would forever protect it from development. So, too, would landmark status. In March, the nonprofit NYC H2O, applied for its inclusion on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

At the meeting, Owen Wells, Parks’ director of environmental review, presented a plan for labeling the site a Critical Environmental Area — a nonregulatory policy statement without the muscle of the state wetlands label.

Nanz pointed out that a map of the reservoir did not include the L-shaped west basin, which is as large as the other two together and has long been a focus of their efforts, as part of the wetlands. Parks once wanted to build sports fields over it, and an NYSDEC regional director previously told Nanz that it would never be protected as a wetlands.

At least five reports going back to 2005, including one from Parks’ own Natural Resources Group and another from its ecological consultants, have provided evidence of wetlands in all three basins. Nanz worried that the Critical Environmental Area tag could be used as cover for development of the west basin if it was not included.

In one impassioned exchange with Wells, Ridgewood resident Tom Dowd, 74, shouted, “Will you put it on the map?” regarding the possible wetlands in the west basin.

“We will update the map to resolve this concern,” Wells answered.

In 2010, Nanz and others filed an application for wetlands designation with NYSDEC. Two weeks ago, its regional supervisor finally conducted a field survey at the reservoir, and will visit again in July before releasing findings in the fall.

“Seven years is a long time to act on a permit application,” said New York environmental lawyer Edan Rotenberg. “Seven years is effectively ignoring it.”

This saga with the parks department began with an experimental dance project. In 2007, choreographer and performer Jennifer Monson, who had been studying wildlife migration for years, organized a yearlong residency at what she called “a beautiful fairytale forest in the middle of the city.”

As part of her research, Monson asked the Brooklyn Bird Club to lead a bird survey. Jett, Nanz, and Steiner volunteered first. During periodic visits, they found almost forty different species using it as a breeding ground, and more than twice that many stopping there on their migration along the Atlantic Flyway.

As new visitors came to the reservoir for Monson’s performances, the Bloomberg administration, seemingly intent on leveling the forests there for sports fields even as it pledged to plant one million trees in the city, named it one of eight “destination parks.”

Recognizing the reservoir’s endangered state, those who wanted to see it remain a wildlife refuge created the Highland Park/Ridgewood Reservoir Alliance.

Because of the reservoir’s inaccessibility — the Jackie Robinson Parkway and several cemeteries cut it off from nearby Bushwick and Ridgewood — “the parks department anticipated going in there and getting shovels in the ground quickly,” Steiner said. “We did everything we could to stop them.”

They led field trips and bird walks for residents and politicians. In late June of 2008, then-comptroller William C. Thompson halted the plan because of financial and environmental concerns. Months later, the economic crash quartered the project’s budget, leaving only enough for renovations to the walkways and lighting.

The community groups declared victory. Then one evening in the fall of 2013, Glendale resident Gary Comorau, president of the alliance, attended a local community board meeting. The parks department was giving a presentation about remediating flooding at the reservoir. The city was going to breach the levees in three places, cut down nearly 500 trees, and build roads through the west basin. In short, destroy it — at a cost of at least $6 million.

“My mouth dropped open,” Comorau said.

State dam-safety regulations still classified it as a high-hazard dam, even though it never held water. Comorau learned that the annual rainfall in Ridgewood is less than forty inches. But even 10 feet of rain wouldn’t fill the reservoir.

Comorau mobilized his group. After months without answers, he hired Rotenberg, the environmental lawyer. As Rotenberg called local and state officials, making the point that there was no flood risk, Comorau and his associates convinced every elected official in the district, from the City Council to Congress, to write Governor Andrew Cuomo about their concerns.

In September 2014, NYSDEC Commissioner Joseph Martens said Parks had requested a reclassification of the reservoir as a low-hazard dam. (It was only formalized two months ago.) In a letter to politicians, Martens added that his staff would begin wetlands delineation of the reservoir “as early as this fall.”

Three years later, its protectors are still waiting.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Jett said after the meeting on the 21st. “For ten years we’ve been saying: landmark and wetlands. Then they won’t ever be able to destroy it.”

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Public Notice for CEA Designation

PUBLIC HEARING – Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held by the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) to accept comments on the proposed designation of the Ridgewood Reservoir, located in Highland Park, Queens, as a Critical Environmental Area. The Public Hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Pancras School, 68-20 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385. The Ridgewood Reservoir is a former water supply reservoir located within Highland Park, straddling the Brooklyn-Queens border. The reservoir has been substantially drained for many years and consists of three basins separated by embankments and surrounded by a perimeter pathway. In the years since being taken off-line as a water supply source, the reservoir has transitioned into a naturalized area that is unique within New York City and serves as an important ecological, historic, and public recreation resource. In recognition of its exceptional character, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation proposes to designate the reservoir as a Critical Environmental Area (CEA). Once an area has been designated as a CEA, the potential impacts on the characteristics of the CEA become relevant areas of concern for specific consideration during State Environmental Quality Review Act review of future projects in or substantially contiguous to the area. Copies of the CEA Justification Report and Environmental Assessment Statement can be obtained by contacting the lead agency at the following address: Owen Wells, Director of Environmental Review New York City Department of Parks and Recreation The Arsenal, Central Park 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 401 New York, New York 10065 Telephone: 212-360-3492 Fax: 212-360-3453 Email: owen.wells@parks.nyc.gov Oral and written comments on the proposed CEA designation can be submitted at the Public Hearing. Written comments will also be accepted by NYC Parks at the above address, fax number, or email address until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. This Notice of Public Hearing has been prepared pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, Article 8 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law and its implementing regulations found in Part 617 of 6 NYCRR (SEQRA).

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Community Listening Sessions

From NYC H2O:

Ridgewood Reservoir

Community Meetings

Tuesday May 23 @ 7pm: PS 68, 5909 St Felix Ave, Glendale

Thursday June 1 @ 7pm: North Brooklyn YMCA, 570 Jamaica Ave, Brooklyn

Join us for a community listening session to envision an exciting new future for Highland Park's historic Ridgewood Reservoir. NYC H2O and its collaborating organizations are actively seeking input from community members to discuss future possibilities as well as address present challenges around the Reservoir. NYC Parks has worked with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to reclassify the Ridgewood Reservoir to Class A "Low Hazard," a new designation that allows it to be preserved as a natural and cultural treasure for the community.

These meetings are being organized by NYC H2O with the following community organizations: Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation; East New York Farms; North Brooklyn YMCA; Highland Park Ridgewood Reservoir Association; Community Board 5 Queens and Community Board 5 Brooklyn; 75th and 104th Precincts; Queens Borough President’s Office; Brooklyn Borough President's Office; Brooklyn Bird Club; Queens County Bird Club; NYC Audubon, along with New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

RSVP for 5/23 at 7pm at PS 68

RSVP for 6/1 at 7pm at N Brooklyn YMCA


NYC H2O
(646) 926-0368
info@nych2o.org
nych2o.org


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From QNS online:

Status change aims to keep the beautiful Ridgewood Reservoir a natural open space

The Ridgewood Reservoir has been reclassified by the NYC Parks Department.
By Anthony Giudice / agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com / Thursday, April 27, 2017 / 3:00 PM

The city Parks Department recently took an important step toward preserving one of Ridgewood’s most beautiful places.

The Ridgewood Reservoir‘s status as a dam was reclassified by the New York City Parks Department after the agency completed a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) application, effectively lowering the site’s hazard rating from Class C “High Hazard” to Class A “Low Hazard.”

This new classification removes the need to create any breaches in the dam, allowing the Ridgewood Reservoir to remain as a natural treasure for all those who visit. Since the reservoir was taken off‐line as a water supply source, it has become a uniquely naturalized area in New York City, serving as an important ecological resource as well as a public recreation space.

“The Ridgewood Reservoir is home to a number of native flora and fauna, making it one of Queens’ most diverse natural areas,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. “The reclassification of the dam is an important step forward to ensure the preservation of this treasured green space.”

The NYC Parks Department said it is fully committed to preserving the Ridgewood Reservoir as a natural open space for the community.

“The Ridgewood Reservoir has always been such a unique and beautiful part of our community, and now, thanks to the dam reclassification, it always will be,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. “Thank you to the Parks Department for the new designation and ensuring our greenspace is preserved in this bustling city.”

The Ridgewood Reservoir — located in the northeastern portion of Highland Park — was built back in 1859, and was originally used to supply Brooklyn with water up until 1959, as new reservoirs in the Catskills provided water. It was completely decommissioned in the 1980s.

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Historic Designation Getting Closer

With the organization NYCH2O driving the effort, the reservoir appears to be getting closer to landmark protector. A series of local newspaper article came out this week about that endeavor.

From the Queens Tribune:

Reprieve For Ridgewood Reservoir
on: March 16, 2017 In: News, Top News
BY JON CRONIN
Editor

The Ridgewood Reservoir has been given a stay of execution following a 20-year battle by community advocates.

The city Parks Department had initially wanted to toss construction debris into the reservoir, pave over it and then create athletic fields at the site, said Steven Fiedler, Community Board 5’s parks committee chairman.
The committee met with the Parks Department during CB 5’s most recent meeting and was able to get the agency to understand that the reservoir does not pose a flooding danger to the community.

According to Fiedler, CB 5 had dam and water experts present during the meeting to discuss the reservoir with Parks Department representatives. The experts presented data showing that during the largest rainstorm in the past century, approximately 15 years ago, the three basins did not rise more than an inch.

The Parks Department agreed to author a letter that would recommend the reservoir become part of the National Historic Register. CB 5 voted unanimously to support this on Fiedler’s recommendation.

Several years ago, the city had put aside $9 million for a succession of dams that would prevent overflow at the reservoir. Fiedler said he hopes that with the money still secured, infrastructure can be created throughout the reservoir, such as walkways, a visitor center, maintenance area and elevator.

Fiedler said that he and Matt Malina, a local water system educator, expect a letter from the Parks Department supporting the reservoir’s place on the register within the week.


This article is from the Queens Ledger:

CB5 supports historic designation for reservoir
by Patrick Kearns
03.13.17 - 03:21 pm

Community Board 5 voted unanimously to support adding the Ridgewood Reservoir to the National Register of Historic Places at its monthly board meeting last week.

“It puts another layer of protection on the Ridgewood Reservoir,” said Steven Fiedler, chair of the board’s Parks Committee. “If we can get them to put it on the National Registry of Historic Places, that means they could never touch it again and it has to stay nature.”

It would also open the Highland Park site up to federal grants for improvements such as pathways, elevators, and bridges.

The 19th century-era Ridgewood Reservoir provided water to Brooklyn, but became obsolete once the city began getting its water from the Catskills in 1936

Over time, nature took over and the site became a wetland. It was decommissioned by the Department of Environmental Conservation in 1990, and in 2004 it was given to the Parks Department.

There was talk of it being filled in to construct athletic fields, but now the Parks Department is committed to preserving the space and supports the historic designation.

“Parks is fully committed to preserving the dam as natural open space,” a spokesperson said.

© queensledger.com 2017


Another piece was in the Queens Chronicle:

Push for a ‘historic’ designation grows
by Christopher Barca, Associate Editor | Posted: Thursday, March 16, 2017 10:30 am

The years-long fight to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir is finally coming to an end, Community Board 5 Parks Committee Chairman Steve Fiedler says.

And a happy one, at that.

CB 5 voted 32-0 last Wednesday to support a push to have the scenic location on the Brooklyn-Queens border added to the state and federal registers of Historic Places, much to Fielder’s joy.

“It’s been a 20-year battle with the Parks Department to keep this thing nature,” Fiedler said after the vote. “Thank you for your support and I think we finally won.”

Ground was first broken by the city on the three-basin reservoir, which sits within Highland Park on the Queens-Brooklyn border, in 1856.

It was used as one of the five boroughs’ primary water supplies until 1959, after which time it was used only as a water source during droughts.

It was eventually decommissioned and drained in 1989, eventually returning to its previous state as a popular forest habitat for birds and other wildlife with water filling the second basin.

Three years ago, the state proposed a flood mitigation project that would involve breaching the berms separating the basins and building roadways between them.

A city study later determined the area posed no flood risk and should be reclassified from a Class C high-hazard dam to a Class A low-hazard one.

Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor told the Chronicle in a Monday email that the agency will also be getting behind Fiedler’s push to have the Ridgewood Reservoir deemed a historic place.

“We will be pursuing a Critical Environmental Area designation for this site, as well as issuing a formal letter of support for the inclusion of the site on the National and State Historic Registers,” Lalor said. “NYC Parks is fully committed to preserving the dam as natural open space.”

Designating a space as a CEA is done by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. To become a CEA, according to the DEC, the area “must have an exceptional or unique character” with respect to public health, wildlife and ecological significance, as well as its cultural, historic, educational and recreational values.

Fiedler said he heard the reclassification from Class C to Class A could come this month, but Lalor said there is no timeline for such a decision.


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Open House New York reservoir tours

In collaboration with NYC H2O, this year's Open House New York will feature tours of the reservoir. From their website:

Ridgewood Reservoir

Saturday, October 17: 10:00 am
Sunday, October 18: 10:00 am
Architect: City of Brooklyn, ca. 1850s.
Additional: NYC H2O

While the Central Park Reservoir was built in the 1850’s to supply the growing City of New York, the Ridgewood Reservoir was built to supply the rapidly expanding City of Brooklyn. It was supplied by reservoirs and wells further east on Long Island and connected via an aqueduct that ran under Conduit Avenue. The reservoir was made obsolete by the activation of the Delaware Aqueduct in 1955 and was drained in the 1980’s. Since that time proposals to develop the old reservoir basins were never realized. All the while nature worked its magic and grew a forest which is now a refuge to 200 species of birds.

Tour guides will include: Matt Malina, the Director and Founder of NYC H2O; Jonathan Turer, the School Program Manager for NYC H2O; Ken Chaya, an avid urban naturalist, educator, and designer and co-creator of the tree map of Central Park, "Central Park Entire;" http://www.centralparknature.com/; Rob Jett, the blogger behind "The City Birder", New York City's longest running birding blog; and Adam J Schwartz, an educator and NYC H2O advisor.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Saturday: Reserve Tickets
Sunday: Reserve Tickets


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Highland Park Improvements Planned

A small, but important piece was just posted in the Times Newsweekly:

"With the city’s Parks Department abandoning its plan to breach the Ridgewood Reservoir’s walls, Parks Committee Chairperson Steve Fiedler reported the agency now plans to spend the money for that endeavor on improving ball fields and other facilities in nearby Highland Park. The improvements include new handball courts and a renovated playground near Cypress Hills."

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Juniper Berry Article

Below is an article I wrote for the current issue of the magazine "Juniper Berry":



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More Media Coverage

We even got our story covered in Nowy Dziennik (Polish Daily News)!

Read the fairly accurate Google Translate version of the article here.


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A Walk in the Park blog article

"A Walk in the Park" just posted a really good reservoir piece today:

DEC/Parks Department Reverse Ridgewood Reservoir Culvert Plan

The decommissioned Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park is a natural oasis on the Queens-Brooklyn border. Activists were worried that a state-mandated plan to cut culverts in the reservoir would have impacted the natural beauty of the area. Citizens were concerned that this could pave the way for future development.

Queens-Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft
For years the community fought vehemently against Mayor Bloomberg's $50 million PlaNYC proposal to clear out 20 acres of one of the basins for ballfields and develop the natural area for active recreation.

It appears these efforts may finally be paying off.

Click here to read the entire story.

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Another Queens Courier Article

The following article was just published in the Queens Courier:

New hope for Ridgewood Reservoir
By Salvatore Licata | slicata@queenscourier.com

The Ridgewood Reservoir is gaining some dam support.

The head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation told lawmakers that the city Parks Department requested his agency reclassify the reservoir as a “low hazard” dam, which would obviate the need for a $6 million construction project to prevent flooding.

The reservoir has been listed as a major flood hazard with potential to do damage to its surroundings. In order to minimize the risk of flooding, the Parks Department planned to connect the reservoir’s three basins by creating three large breaches in the reservoir’s surrounding berms.

“If reclassified, the Class A [low flood threat] designation will allow Parks to maintain the reservoir as a dam, without necessitating breaching the structure and all the associated intrusions, such as access-road construction, tree removal and habitat disturbance,” DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens wrote in a Sept. 2 letter.

Martens said his staff felt the downgrade “may be technically justified,” and that the Parks Department is “in the process of submitting additional information to justify this reclassification,” raising the possibility that the reservoir can be fully preserved.

“We share your view that the reservoir is a unique, historic site that over the years has reverted to nature and has become a haven for wildlife, as well as local residents seeking respite from urbanized surroundings,” Martens wrote.

The letter also said that the DEC is developing a schedule to map the wetlands in the three basins of the reservoir, starting early this fall.

This initial work will identify the exact boundaries of each of the wetlands and what conditions exist there.

Even though the letter is a step forward in the fight to save the reservoir, state Sen. Joe Addabbo remains skeptical.

“I will not rest until there is an A classification [low flood risk] letter from the Parks Department in my hand,” Addabbo said. “I am optimistic we will get what we want but just something more definitive.”


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Revamped Plan Article

The following article was published in DNAinfo New York:

Revamped City Plan Would Preserve Ridgewood Reservoir
By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska on September 8, 2014 1:14pm

QUEENS — The state and the city are considering a plan that would allow Ridgewood Reservoir to remain untouched and preserve its ecosystem.

The man-made structure, a historic source of water supply, surrounded by lush greenery, and located in Highland Park, has become a battleground in recent months.

Local park lovers and several elected officials disagreed with a Parks Department plan to build breaches, which would allow flood waters to drain, and roads at the site of the reservoir, while also cutting down nearly 500 trees.

The $6 million plan, the Parks Department said, was meant to comply with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulations, put in place after Hurricane Katrina.

The goal was to address the potential for flooding in the area of the reservoir, which the state DEC classified as a “high hazard” dam.

Under that classification, a failure of the reservoir could result in "widespread or serious damage...such that the loss of human life or widespread substantial economic loss is likely."

It was not clear when or why the Ridgewood Reservoir was given that classification.

Earlier this year, local activists started a petition protesting the plan and have garnered nearly 1,000 supporters as of Sept. 8.

In July, several elected officials, including Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Rep. Grace Meng and state Assemblyman Mike Miller sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressing their concern that the proposed work would affect the park’s ecosystem.

“We are deeply concerned these changes will significantly harm the natural and largely undisturbed habitats of the animals that currently live there," the letter reads.

But last Wednesday, the Parks Department said that it has decided not to pursue the plan and is working to get the site reclassified as a “low hazard” dam.

The Parks Department said the new plan would eliminate the need to build culverts and roads in the park.

Lori Severino, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said the agency "will carefully consider the anticipated reclassification request.”

Local activists said they welcome the new plan.

“It makes sense and it should have happened originally,” said Gary Comorau, president of the Highland Park/Ridgewood Reservoir Alliance, a local advocacy group that promotes the site.

“It’s so spectacular,” he said about the park. “You don't feel like you're in New York City and we want to keep it this way.”

Several years ago, the park also underwent renovations which included repaving of pathways. A new handicap-accessible ramp was also added.

"After having recently invested millions to revitalize the Reservoir, it would be a crime [to] destroy and disturb the thriving natural wildlife," said Crowley, who called the site an "ecological gem."


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New York Daily News Article

The New York Daily News also just published a good story about recent developments with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation:


Ridgewood Reservoir could keep its wild appeal under new state plan

Advocates for the green oasis on the Brooklyn-Queens border have been fighting to preserve the natural parkland. State officials say the city may not need to cut culverts as part of an anti-flooding plan they originally mandated. State Department of Environmental Conservation will consider reclassifying the site as a non-hazardous dam.

BY Lisa L. Colangelo
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, September 4, 2014, 8:33 PM

The Ridgewood Reservoir may get to stay wild.

The city may not need to cut culverts and roads through the green oasis in order to stave off the potential risk of flooding, state officials said this week.

It marked the first sign of victory for the activists who have been battling for seven years to protect the untamed 50-acre site, which has grown into a natural woodland since the reservior was closed more than two decades ago.

“There aren’t wild places left like this is New York,” said activist Robb Jett, who founded Save the Ridgewood Reservoir. “There’s more to gain to keep it as a natural area.”

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens told lawmakers the area could be reclassified as a low-risk dam, a distinction that would eliminate the need for flooding mitigation measures currently required by state law.

The state will make that decision after it completes a review of information provided by the city Parks Department.

The news comes in time to head off a $6 million Parks project — mandated by the state — that opponents said would destroy the reservoir’s delicate ecosystem.

More than 150 species of migratory and resident birds use the lush area, Jett said.

Another activist, Christina Wilkinson, convinced eight local lawmakers earlier this year to sign a letter to Gov. Cuomo detailing the importance of preserving the site.

“This new plan will be great for the community because it preserves the natural environment of the park, prevents any new development,” said Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, who signed the letter. “And most importantly, (it) saves our taxpayers over $6 million.”

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com


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Queens Chronicle Story

Good news travels fast! This article was published late this morning in the Queens Chronicle:

Ridgewood Reservoir to be reclassified?
by Christopher Barca, Reporter | Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2014 10:30 am
Ridgewood Reservoir to be reclassified?

Activists fighting for the reclassification of the Ridgewood Reservoir shouldn’t uncork the champagne just yet, but they may have scored a victory this week.

The Parks Department will apply to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a redesignation of the reservoir, within Highland Park on the Glendale-Brooklyn border, from a Class C “high hazard” dam to a Class A “low hazard” dam, according to agency spokesman Zach Feder.

That could negate the need for a project that residents say would destroy the park by requiring the cutting down of almost 500 trees and the construction of roads that would negatively impact the habitat of many of the park’s wildlife species.

“Parks has discussed the prospect of instead reclassifying the reservoir as a Class A “low hazard” site with DEC, which would eliminate the need to create any breaches,” Feder said. “Parks is currently working on a package that we will submit to DEC in support of this reclassification.”

If the state DEC approves the agency’s reclassification application, the proposed two-year, $6 million culvert creation project mandated by the DEC will be deemed unnecessary and terminated.

The planned construction work would include creating large culverts in the embankments between the three basins of the park, one of which is filled with water.

According to the DEC, such work would reduce the risk of a breach of one or more of the basins during an unprecedented storm, which might lead to severe flooding in the surrounding areas.

However, residents and Community Board 5 have claimed that it would be nearly impossible for enough precipitation to fill the basins to a point where a potential breach will seriously threaten the surrounding area.

In recent months, area elected officials and activists have petitioned for the reclassification of the reservoir in their own way.

In a letter to Gov. Cuomo dated July 24, Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), Councilmembers Elizabeth Crowley (D-Glendale) and Antonio Reynoso (D-Brooklyn, Queens), state Sens. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) and state Assemblymembers Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) and Cathy Nolan (D-Sunnyside) expressed their concern over what the proposed work would do to the park’s ecosystem.

“The proposed work consists of breaching the berms that separate the Ridgewood Reservoir’s basins, building permanent access roads into this habitat, and cutting down at least 470 trees,” the letter reads. “We are concerned these changes will significantly harm the natural and largely undisturbed habitats of the animals that live there.”

Additionally, the preservation group Save Ridgewood Reservoir started a petition on the social change website Change.org to rally support for its cause in July. As of Wednesday, 793 people had signed it.

Many of the petition’s signatories are from the area, including Queens Civic Congress President Richard Hellenbrecht and New York City Audubon President Harrison Maas, but some from as far away as Kentucky left messages of encouragement.

“This is a rich environmental habitat,” Hellenbrecht wrote, “and offers a unique perspective of NYC history and must be maintained in its natural state.”

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Budget Hearing Article

Here's a recent article from the Times Newsweekly that mentions community support for funds to preserve the reservoir:

BUDGETING IN R’WOOD

Neighborhood Participates In Funding Process For First Time
by Noah Zuss

Residents attended a participatory budgeting info session at the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council (GRYC) on Wednesday, Aug. 13 to engage in the process that allows individuals to choose which capital projects to fund in their district.

This fourth session––held at the GRYC Summerfield Street headquarters––was organized by City Council MemberAntonio Reynoso to engage the community and educate residents on the process that will determine how to spend $1 million in discretionary funds.

This year marks the first time the process will used in the district, which covers Ridgewood south and west of Myrtle and Forest avenues and parts of Bushwick East Williamsburg and Williamsburg. Council members allocate a portion of discretionary funds to the process––Reynoso chose to earmark $1 million, but can choose to increase that number.

The meeting last Wednesday represented the infancy of the process, Ava Farkas, director of community organizing for Reynoso’s office, said. At the session, volunteer sign-up sheets and a presentation on how participatory budgeting works were distributed so residents could get involved, and learn more about the instrument.

The overarching goal of the process is to increase community involvement in budgeting decisions, it was noted.

“Public budgets are your money,” Farkas said.

After a lawmaker chooses to allocate a certain amount of money, neighborhood assemblies are held, which will begin in September and run through November; then delegate meetings to develop proposals on what projects the community wants funded will run through February; project expos to explain the various projects will be organized through March; and a vote will be collected from March through April.

Members of the community 16 years of age or older are eligible to vote, and will be given a list of five projects to choose the ones they want funded. The process is now used in 1,500 cities and towns, with nine council district’s last year, and 23 this year, Farkas stated.

“There is a million dollars at stake that Council Member Reynoso wants to spend in the district,” GRYC President Bob Monahan said. “You’re going to get to decide how it’s spent on a capital perspective.”

Those in attendance were asked to present their ideas on capital projects to fund.

Ideas from the groups included funds to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir in it’s current state and not to breach it as the Parks Department has planned, more playgrounds in the area, more Greenstreets and green spaces in the district, funds for more and better bathrooms at local parks and a community garden atop the former Joseph Garity American Legion Post, which will soon house GRYC programs and services.

“We want to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir,” Tom Dowd, a long-time resident, said. “It’s a good place to do real science. It’s still an incredibly beautiful place. We think that’s one good project.”

Another resident proposed a recreation center for kids that offers sports programs.

Participatory budgeting was first used in Porta Allegre, Brazil, and has since been implemented in Chicago, Toronto and Vallejo, Calif.

In the last cycle, $12 million was spent in council districts using participatory budgeting, Farkas said.

Farkas and Kevin Worthington, also of Reynoso’s office, presented an exercise to outline for residents what is meant by capital versus expense funding.

After using projects examples to define the differences, Worthington told attendees, “You’re ready for P. B., congratulations.”

Capital funding is brick and mortar projects that will ast at least five years. Only capital projects that cost over $35,000 and less than one million can be nominated, Farkas stated.

Only residents of the 34th District may vote in the election, it was noted.

To become a budget delegate, an individual must be at least 14 years old. They must live, work, own a business, go to school or have a child in school in the district. Immigration status is not a factor.

Many ways to engage exist, Worthington and Farkas noted, including coming to a neighborhood assembly, becoming a budget delegate, voting on projects and spreading the word. Volunteers are also needed for phone banking, translation services, child care. Food for meetings, and meeting spaces are also always needed, Worthington said.

“Being a volunteer really means outreach and spreading the word,” Farkas said.

District committee meetings will begin this week, she noted.

“You can really make an impact in the community,” volunteer Heather Hatton said. “You can really do anything if you have the votes.”
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