Res. No. 609
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign S.2200/A.3079, legislation that would require the City of New York to mitigate property damage caused by environmental issues which are caused by acts or omissions of such municipality
By Council Member Williams
Whereas, Communities in Southeast Queens have faced decades of severe chronic flooding of streets and homes, even during minor rain events, due to the unique topography of the region, which includes low lying depressions surrounded by higher elevation areas, groundwater close to the soil surface, known as a high water table, and an inadequate network of municipal storm sewer infrastructure; and
Whereas, The area’s high water table can cause water to leak into basements even during dry weather, and contributes to persistent issues with sewage backing up into homes, as groundwater leaching into conveyance pipes significantly reduces the system’s overall capacity to carry wastewater away from affected neighborhoods; and
Whereas, The high water table also reduces the efficacy of green infrastructure solutions like bioswales and rain gardens, which rely on water being able to dissipate into the ground to reduce flooding; and
Whereas, While some expansion of the municipal storm sewer infrastructure network in Southeast Queens has been initiated and completed in the past few years, little has been done to address the height of the water table in the area; and
Whereas, Between 1887 and 1996, communities in the southeastern portion of Queens and parts of Nassau County received water from a network of 67 supply wells operated by the privately-owned Jamaica Water Supply Company (“JWS”); and
Whereas, In 1996, the City of New York (“City”) purchased the Queens portion of the JWS network and began providing residents with a mix of water sourced from the City’s network of municipal reservoirs and local groundwater wells; and
Whereas, At their peak during the 1920s and 30s, approximately 130 million gallons of groundwater were being pumped from the aquifers underlying Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island each day to supply industrial and public use across Kings and Queens Counties; and
Whereas, This pumping caused groundwater levels to drop up to 45 feet in some areas, allowing subsequent developers to build subsurface structures like garages and basements into ground that otherwise would have been below the natural water line; and
Whereas, Continued pumping eventually led to increasing levels of saltwater incursion, reducing the quality of the groundwater supply until Kings County was forced to find alternate sources of water for public consumption in 1947, followed by parts of Queens County in 1974, with withdrawals for public use largely ceasing in Queens around 2007; and
Whereas, As groundwater pumping in the area wound down between the 1930s and 1990s, the aquifers began replenishing, returning to a natural equilibrium point between inflow and outflow by 1997; and
Whereas, As groundwater levels rebounded, local homes, businesses, and institutions like York College were forced to install and run pumps 24 hours a day to drain water from lower levels, or face the consequences of persistent water incursion, like property damage and chronic mold issues; and
Whereas, Chronic flooding has also affected public transit hubs like the Parsons Boulevard subway station and the Jamaica MTA bus depot, as well as local public schools, community spaces, and houses of worship; and
Whereas, Due to the presence of toxic contaminants in the groundwater, the New York State (“State”) Department of Environmental Conservation briefly resumed pumping at a well station in St. Albans, Queens from August to December of 2012, removing approximately 800,000 gallons of water per day from the underlying aquifer; and
Whereas, The temporary resumption of pumping resulted in at least 1 nearby resident reporting a reduction in the frequency of their basement flooding, according to a New York Daily News article, published in December of 2012; and
Whereas, Residents of the affected communities should not have to contend with the consequences of the City and State’s decisions to cease pumping groundwater, which have resulted in property damage and potential negative health outcomes due to mold exposure; and
Whereas, S.2200, sponsored by State Senator Leroy Comrie and pending in the State Senate, and companion bill A.3079, sponsored by Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman and pending in the State Assembly, would establish that when the City or a department of City government creates or significantly contributes to an environmental crisis through acts of omission or commission, and when the City owns or controls infrastructure that can substantially mitigate the issue, the City is obligated to use the infrastructure to provide a clear, objective, and quantifiable plan to provide relief to the affected parties; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That The Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign S.2200/A.3079, legislation that would require the City of New York to mitigate property damage caused by environmental issues which are caused by acts or omissions of such municipality.
NRC
LS#17295
7/22/26