Lister Park is part of the Living with the Bay plan, a HUD CDBG-DR funded project administered by NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR). Located in the Village of Rockville Centre on Long Island, Lister Park is one of seven infrastructure projects selected to improve flood mitigation measures for communities along the Mill River and around the South Shore’s bays. The area suffered extensive flood damage during Hurricane Sandy.
The mitigation efforts at Lister Park are a joint project with FloodBreak and our partner Floodproofing.com who managed the installation. The Living with the Bay plan will implement a suite of resiliency, water quality, and drainage improvements to an area along the Mill River. One of the core improvements is passive flood protection for the surrounding residential areas.
The Village wanted the community to retain easy access to the park and Mill River in addition to protecting the surrounding neighborhoods. In order to do so, our passive flood barriers were designed in at 3 different vehicular entryways and one at a pedestrian walkway.
These barriers will remain hidden underground until a flood event occurs. Local residents and their families can enjoy access to Lister Park, sports fields, and the Mill River, unhindered by flood planks or other active measures that must be deployed in advance of possible flooding thereby blocking access. FloodBreak passive automatic barriers will only deploy should flooding occur.
No people or power is required for deployment. Human intervention, often a major cause of failure, is eliminated. Floodwater itself is what causes our barriers to float up passively from the ground. When the flooding ends, the barriers will automatically return to their resting position underground, largely unnoticeable to nearby residents and park visitors.
The first passive barrier was installed in December 2021. The remaining barriers will be installed at later phases of the Lister Park infrastructure project as it progresses. FloodBreak barriers will also be part of the GOSR flood mitigation project at Smith Pond, located north of Lister Park. The project is expected to be completed in June 2022.
