Paerdegat Basin is a channel that connects to Jamaica Bay on the southern end of Brooklyn, New York, United States. It is located on the west side of the Canarsie area. It connects to Jamaica Bay to the south, and the north end of the basin is adjacent to the intersection of Ralph Avenue and Flatlands Avenue.
"Paerdegat" derives from the old Dutch 'paardengat', meaning "horse gate".[1]
The waterway is polluted due to the overflow location of the combined sewer system at the basin's northern end. The area's sanitary sewer (from residential and industrial sources) is carried through the same system as the storm water. Typically, the full volume of that water is drained to the sewage treatment plant located on Knapp Street. However, during periods of heavy rainfall, the Knapp Street plant does not have the capacity to treat the full volume of the water, so untreated water is forced to flow out into Paerdegat Basin. New York City's Department of Environmental Protection is working to mitigate the environmental impact of the overflow on the ecosystem. At the same time, the DEP is working with the Park's department to repair the saltwater wetland area which lines the east and west shores of the basin.
The department's solution to the problem is the construction of a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) facility at that location. Construction is ongoing. The construction contract was awarded to the joint venture of Slattery Skanska / Gottlieb Skanska, which is a subsidiary of the global construction company, Skanska, which is headquartered in Sweden. The facility will serve as holding tank for the excess water. Once the storm causing the overload of water has passed, and the Knapp Street plant can accept additional water, the water is pumped from the holding tank of the CSO facility back to the plant to be treated. This prevents the raw untreated sewage from flowing into the Basin. The Odor Control System is being supplied by Cor Pro Inc of Ponte Vedra, Florida. The construction management and surety consulting is being provided by Cashin Spinelli Ferretti Llc. of Hauppauge, New York.