Council advances bill to study and coordinate groundwater flooding response in Southeast Queens

Council Member Nantasha Williams introduced Intro 10-67B on May 28, a bill that the council described as bringing focused attention and coordination to groundwater flooding, a slowly developing problem affecting Southeast Queens.

Williams said groundwater flooding began decades ago after the closure of local wells and changes in land use and that it “happened slowly and silently, damaging basements, boilers, and foundations without warning.” She said the bill would require updates to the existing Southeast Queens flood mitigation plan to incorporate findings from New York City groundwater studies and create an interagency task force to recommend policy changes and publish five annual reports. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would be required to administer a partnership program for information sharing with organizations that provide flood adaptation assistance.

Supporters emphasized the bill’s focus on centering the lived experiences of Southeast Queens residents and using data to guide investments. Chair Jim Gennaro and other speakers were thanked for long-term advocacy on the issue.

The committee placed Intro 10-67B on the general orders calendar (report: amended and coupled). The transcript shows the bill was adopted as part of the council’s general orders calendar later in the meeting; specific agency timelines and required funding were not detailed in the remarks.

Council members and sponsors framed the measure as a necessary step toward coordinated data collection, interagency planning, and targeted adaptation investments for neighborhoods experiencing groundwater flooding.