Mayor Mamdani and Gov. Hochul announced on Oct. 26 that construction has begun on the North End Recirculation Project at the north end of Central Park. The total cost is $35.7 million, and completion is scheduled for fall 2028. The goal is to reduce the amount of rainwater entering sewers during heavy storms, easing flooding in Harlem and East Harlem, and to cut the park's use of drinking water.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, Oct. 26, that construction has begun on the North End Recirculation Project at the north end of Central Park. The project, with a total budget of $35.7 million, aims to reduce flooding that spreads into Harlem and East Harlem during heavy rain and to save the drinking water the park uses. The target completion date is fall 2028.
The project ties three waterways in the north of the park, the Pool, the Loch and Harlem Meer, into a single circulation system. Under normal conditions, water from the Meer is pumped up to the south side of the Pool and then flows back by gravity, being filtered along the way. When a major storm is forecast, the Meer's water level is lowered in advance to create room for rainwater, and when rain falls, it naturally refills the waterways. At present, all three rely mainly on the city's water supply.
According to the city, once the project is complete, about 132 million gallons of water a year will no longer enter local sewers. The amount of rainwater flowing from the park's 204-acre watershed into city sewers will fall by 90%. The city expects drinking water use to drop by about 175 million gallons a year and summer outbreaks of harmful algal blooms to decline as well.
"This year, one out of every three days has been under a flash flood warning," Mayor Mamdani said. "This is an investment in infrastructure that protects our neighbors when it rains and saves drinking water when it's dry." Gov. Hochul said funding from the 2022 Environmental Bond Act is being used for the project. East Harlem residents, the environmental group WE ACT and Manhattan Community Board 11 took part from the planning stage through the city's Climate Strong Communities program.
The project has the support of the five community boards surrounding the park, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission also expressed its support. The city's Public Design Commission approved the final design in December 2024. The Pool, the Loch and the Meer are waterways designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and built between 1862 and 1865.