The Parish of Saint Charles Borromeo and the Archdiocese of New York have partnered with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on a $600,000 stormwater management project at St. Charles School in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, a collaboration that will help protect the school, the surrounding neighborhood, and the waters of Lower Bay, the parties announced on Monday, April 20.

Beneath the school’s parking lot, underground chambers now capture rainwater diverted from rooftops and paved surfaces, holding more than 50,000 gallons at a time and managing roughly 818,000 gallons of rainwater per year. By keeping that water out of local storm sewers, the project reduces flooding for nearby residents and businesses while supporting cleaner waterways in the community.

“Saint Charles Borromeo Parish is grateful to the City’s Department of Environmental Protection for this partnership,” said Fr. Patrick Buckley, pastor of the parish. “These flood mitigation measures will help protect our facilities and the surrounding Oakwood neighborhood from storm damage, allowing us to direct more resources toward our mission of serving the parish, school, and broader community.”

DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia called the project a model of what public-private cooperation can accomplish in the face of climate change. “We know that public infrastructure can’t do it alone,” she said, adding that grant incentives like the Resilient NYC Partners program help private properties do their part to capture stormwater where it falls.

A model of public-private partnership

City Council Minority Leader David M. Carr praised both parties. “These new stormwater chambers will not only provide much-needed relief from frequent flooding at the St. Charles School and in the surrounding area, it is a model of public-private partnership that really works,” he said.

The project was funded through DEP’s Resilient NYC Partners program, which helps large property owners install green infrastructure such as permeable pavers, subsurface storage systems, and rain gardens. The program has completed more than 15 projects and provided $19 million in funding to date.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection manages the city’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City.