Hundreds of water-absorbing bioswales coming to Queens sidewalks

Come spring time, some lucky sidewalks in Queens will be blooming with water-absorbing bioswales.

According to the Queens Chronicle, the sidewalks of Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth will be installed with the rainwater-absorbing gardens in order to divert gallons of storm water from clogging sewers and polluting local water sources.

A biowale is a curbside garden made up of small trees, shrubs and flowers planted in broken stone and sandy soil.

During heavy rain, the biowale system is engineered to absorb rainwater from sidewalks and can soak up as much as 3,000 gallons of water that would otherwise flow into the sewers, eventually making its way into NYC's waterways.

NYC Department of Environment map of future biowales in Queens.