$125 million to make the South Shore safer

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n “Bioswales,” or landscaped trenches designed to hold water, along roads.

n Upstream reinfiltration systems, which would pump triple-treated sewage water from the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant in East Rockaway back upstream so it can be deposited in inland waterways, instead of the bays, to help recharge Nassau’s sole-source aquifer.

n Aquaphilic urban planning, in which apartment buildings and other structures would be designed to remain usable after a flood.

n Water “detention” centers under municipal properties such as parks, where water would be sent into underground storage cisterns during a flood. The spaces could be built in places like Bligh Field in Rockville Centre.

The development of Mill River would make the area safer and more accessible, according to Interboro Team members. In the first phase of its project, the team plans to install a sluice gate on Mill River, create a riverfront park that would also filter storm water and add swales to areas adjacent to the river.

Theodore explained that, as things stand now, storm water drains into the ground and makes its way to streams and rivers, taking any pollutants with it. The filtration system Interboro is proposing would help clean the water in the rivers and bays.

But Mill River is just one part of the Interboro project. Also included in the proposal are plans to build better storm barriers in Long Beach and other barrier islands, to construct more marsh islands in South Shore saltwater marshes and to turn Sunrise Highway into a “green corridor.” Those aspects of the project do not have funding yet.

“Mill River is one of many north-south tributaries in Nassau County,” Theodore said. The team’s ideas, she added, “… could be applied to other north-south rivers in Nassau and Suffolk counties to better contain flood water.” She went on to explain that the team would continue to look for funding for the rest of the project.

Vanessa Parker contributed to this story.

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