Overview
- Construction on the North End Recirculation Project began in late October 2026 and work has moved from permitting into below‑grade installation and site preparations.
- The build includes below‑grade filtration and pumping vaults, recirculation piping between the Harlem Meer, the Loch and the Pool, a wet well and pump, sediment excavation from the Meer, and a drain tie‑in to an Eighth Avenue sewer main.
- Officials say the system is designed to keep about 132 million gallons of stormwater out of local sewers each year, cut stormwater flows to city sewers by roughly 90% across a 204‑acre park watershed, and save about 175 million gallons of drinking water annually.
- The $35.7 million project is funded by city, state and private sources — including more than $19.6 million in city capital, a $10 million Green Resiliency Grant, and Conservancy donors — and it advanced after review by the Public Design Commission, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and five surrounding community boards.
- Work is on track for completion in fall 2028, and the project is expected to reduce flooding in Harlem and East Harlem, improve water quality by lowering algal blooms, and require careful archaeological and landscape restoration because the park is a protected scenic landmark.