Central Park breaks ground on $35.7 million system to curb Harlem flooding and save drinking water

The three lakes and streams at the top of Central Park are about to become a piece of flood-control infrastructure. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Central Park Conservancy president Betsy Smith broke ground on the $35.7 million North End Recirculation Project, which officials say will reduce flooding in Harlem and East Harlem and save millions of gallons of drinking water a year, amNY reported.

How it works

The project ties together the Harlem Meer, the Loch and the Pool, the chain of water bodies at the park's north end. In dry weather, water will be drawn from the Meer, filtered and pumped south of the Pool, then flow back down through the connected water bodies by gravity, according to the officials quoted by amNY. When a major storm is forecast, the system will lower the Meer ahead of time so it can soak up more rain; the water bodies then refill naturally, and normal circulation resumes after the storm.

The state's environmental review notice describes the hardware: filtration and pumping systems in below-grade vaults near the Pool and the Meer, a modified Meer outflow structure, new connections to storm sewers and water mains, sediment removal and shoreline stabilization, and recirculation piping running to the North Meadow, according to the NYSDEC Environmental Notice Bulletin. NYC Parks, the lead agency, found the project would have no significant adverse environmental impact in August 2025. That notice projected construction from 2025 to 2026; officials now expect completion in fall 2028.

The numbers

• About 132 million gallons a year kept out of local sewers.
• Stormwater flows to city sewers cut by 90% across a 204-acre watershed in the park.
• About 175 million gallons of drinking water saved each year, because the park will stop relying as heavily on the city's potable supply to top up the three water bodies.

Mamdani tied the project to this year's storms, saying the city has spent one in three days of 2026 under a flash flood activation. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Garcia said giving the park more control over its water bodies will reduce how much stormwater reaches the sewer system during heavy rain.

Who is paying

The money comes from $19.6 million in city capital funds, a $10 million grant from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation, $2 million from City Council Speaker Julie Menin, $500,000 from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and $100,000 from Council Member Gale Brewer, amNY reported. The Conservancy says on its restoration page that the work continues its earlier projects in the north end of the park and will also improve water quality in the Pool, Loch and Meer.