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September 2016

woodlawn storm water project pond construction

June 2017

Albany_Woodlawn_Park_storm_water_project_2017-06-15_1.jpg

Albany_Woodlawn_Park_storm_water_project_2017-06-15_2.jpg

Albany_Woodlawn_Park_storm_water_project_2017-06-15_3.jpg

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From wet land to wetland

Albany Woodlawn Park storm water wetland

Quick pic follow up on that project the Albany Water Department started last year to build an artificial wetland and underground storage facility for storm water in Woodlawn Park.

The thinking behind the project is that will add some new flexibility to very old sewer infrastructure that runs up the spine of the city along the path of the old Beaver Kill. Areas in neighborhoods along the path have flooded in recently years when a lot of rain has dropped in short amounts of time. This project is intended to act as a buffer for all that water, holding it back from the stormwater system so it can drain gradually without flooding.

The project includes two parts: an "infiltration gallery" -- basically a series of underground tunnels that can hold 750,000 gallons of water -- that's now hidden under the outfield of a baseball diamond there, and a newly-created wetland area with a pond. That second section is now in, and the water department recently added wetland plants.

Here are a few pics of how it turned out...

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Comments

There was a naturally-occurring, fully functional wetland on South Allen Street, part of the municipally-owned South Allen Street Playground. This wetland helped control the storm water in the flood-prone neighborhood. Where is it now? Sold to a private developer, who destroyed it and built a large apartment complex in its place. Moral of the story: The City of Albany cares about flooding in certain neighborhoods but not in others. The former wetland on South Allen Street existed without the cost of one penny to the city, but the city has subsequently spent many thousands to build a new wetland a mile away. Makes sense, doesn't it?

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