Toward Net Zero CSO: Designing a Real-Time Metrics Dashboard for Gowanus

Abstract

An equity-oriented monitoring framework is introduced to track Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, where legacy infrastructure and redevelopment pressures converge to shape flood and pollution dynamics. Unlike existing stormwater dashboards, this framework unites permit-level regulatory data with spatial equity analytics to enhance transparency and environmental justice. The CSO Metrics Dashboard integrates regulatory data, rainfall observations, and calibrated simulations using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Management Model (EPA SWMM) to evaluate stormwater system performance under New York City’s Unified Stormwater Rule (USWR). Grounded in the Gowanus Points of Agreement, the framework operationalizes transparency and accountability through open data publication, participatory review, and geospatial visualization. It synthesizes Site Connection Proposal (SCP) permits, State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) reports, and SWMM outputs to quantify overflow behavior and clarify infrastructure accountability across the sewershed. Linking environmental data with demographic and spatial equity indicators at the census block-group scale, the dashboard identifies disparities in exposure and resilience among neighborhoods. Preliminary model validation indicates event classification accuracy within ±10% of SPDES baselines. Ultimately, the framework advances participatory oversight and adaptive stormwater management, offering a transferable model for cities seeking transparent, data-driven, and equitable governance to achieve Net-Zero CSO outcomes.