Hidden Secrets of Prospect Park’s Water System | BCAP at Home

Prospect Park Well House A one-story brick structure with windows and an ornamental portico painted in pastel colors and brown with trees in the background

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Join this free family program with Brooklyn Public Library’s Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program.

Brooklyn’s biggest lake is in Prospect Park – but where does all of the water in the lake come from? Join this live virtual visit to Prospect Park, where we will explore not just the lake, but all of the waterfalls, streams, and ponds that run through the park, and the pipes that run underneath it! We’ll learn how the water system works, and how it has changed throughout history. We’ll also go behind the scenes inside the Wellhouse; Prospect Park Alliance recently transformed this historic building, which once housed machinery for pumping water into the lakes and streams, into the first composting toilets in an NYC park. We’ll explore how this environmentally-friendly system works and get to see the bugs and worms that help break down waste from the bathrooms!

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Prospect Park Waterways | Free Virtual Program | Episode 152

Prospect Park Well House A one-story brick structure with windows and an ornamental portico painted in pastel colors and brown with trees in the background

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Join us for a virtual exploration of Prospect Park’s waterways. We will look closely at the ingenious drainage system and chain of manmade streams and ponds that terminate in Brooklyn’s largest lake, follow the park’s scenic watercourse, and go inside one of the most unique features of the park: the 1869 Wellhouse, the park’s last remaining building by park designer Calvert Vaux, which once housed the machinery that fueled the watercourse and was recently restored by the Prospect Park Alliance and converted into the first composting restrooms in a NYC park.

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Keeping NYC Waterways Clean: Stormwater Management | Episode 54

PAST PROGRAM | Virtual Programs

Ever wonder why you shouldn’t go to the beach after it rains? Or why you shouldn’t take a shower during a rainstorm? Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are one of New York City’s most persistent and pervasive environmental challenges. Learn how our city’s water system works, how it handles stormwater and sewage, and why, unfortunately, the latter winds up in our waterways thanks to the former. Join Doug Chapman, a LEED-certified professional with experience designing green roofs, as we look at strategies for tackling CSOs, using the infrastructure of the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a case study.

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