On July 3, 2014, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and Department of Transportation (DOT) invite the media to view a live water demonstration at the new FDR “Green” parking lot. The $1.9 million dollar parking lot is completed and was largely funded through Governor Cuomo’s New York Works along with a significant commitment from the Department of Transportation.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park new “Green” parking lot incorporates special features into the design that will reduce phosphorous levels in the New York City drinking watershed and lessen the parking area’s impact on the surrounding environment. The parking lot serves patrons who are visiting the largest swimming pool in the state parks system (2^nd largest in the state of New York), which can accommodate 3,500 bathers per day.

Specially placed planted islands between the parking aisles function as bio-retention basins. These basins capture, breakdown and eliminate various pollutants such as oil, metals, fertilizers and pesticides commonly found in storm water run-off. The basins allow the storm water to slowly infiltrate into the ground, filtering out the pollutants before the cleaner water eventually enters nearby streams and lakes, ultimately becoming drinking water for many New York City residents.

At the live water demonstration, all media will be provided a full fact sheet outlining the full scope of the project and will highlight other parts of the state where similar technology is being implemented. Parking Lot “Before” photos will also be on display.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation maintains and operates 180 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.