South Fox Meadow Stormwater Improvement Project (2014 LGAA)

Village of Scarsdale
County: Westchester County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
Village Hall: (914) 722-1231

In 2007, historic levels of flooding caused the Village of Scarsdale, mirroring the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Flood Plain boundaries, to commission a Village-Wide Comprehensive Storm Water Management Plan in 2009. In addition to identifying and evaluating the six critical and 10 known problem sub-drainage basin areas, the report identified 26 flood mitigation and water quality capital improvement projects totaling roughly $20 million.

Several of these projects focused on the South Fox Meadow Brook, located in the Bronx River watershed, flowing from White Plains through Scarsdale to the Bronx River, specifically those located in the FEMA 100-Year Flood Hazard Zone. Three of these projects were combined into a single $3.0 million stormwater improvement project that served the dual purpose of mitigating the frequency of flooding in this FEMA 100-Year Flood Zone, while incorporating sustainable water quality features.

Two dry detention basins were installed on Village owned property at George Field Park and Cooper Green, which effectively reduced peak flows by 70% and 50% respectively during flash floods and up to a 3.5" rain event. The Village also removed invasive species and constructed a 40,000 sq. ft. wetland at George Field Park, one of the largest engineered wetlands in Westchester County, to naturally eliminate pollutants from the stormwater and to create a significant local habitat. A 3,000 sq. ft. rain garden at Cooper Green, also one of the largest of its kind in Westchester County, was planted with flowering native plant species to treat the stormwater and 500 ft. of grassed swales to filter roadway runoff reducing the pollutants flowing downstream to the Bronx River. The project was completed in June 2013.

The South Fox Meadow Stormwater Improvement Project provided flood mitigation by reducing peak run off rates in the Fox Meadow Brook Drainage Basin and the Bronx River Watershed through dry detention storage. In addition, water quality was improved through the rehabilitation and preservation of natural landscapes and wetlands and other best management practices. As a result of this project, private residential homes will no longer experience flooding in flash storm events as well as sustained events for a 3-year storm by providing a 30% reduction in peak flows, while significantly reducing flooding to public and private properties up to a 25-year storm.

The project would not have been possible without the use of shared services. The $3.0 million dollar project was partially funded with a $1.45 million grant from Westchester County under the County's Flood Mitigation Program. The remaining portion of the project was financed through the NYS EFC through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund,