Area Map & Photos - Paerdegat Basin

Choose the Cameras Along the Water Body Project Area of
Paerdegat Basin to VIEW PHOTOS in a seperate browser window.

Paerdegat Basin Photos I 1 I 2 I 3 I

Paerdegat Basin is located in eastern Brooklyn within Community District 18. It is a tributary to Jamaica Bay; bounded to the north by Flatlands and Ralph Avenues, to the east by Paerdegat Avenue and to the west by Bergen Avenue. At the southwestern edge of the basin lies Joseph Thomas McGuire Park, while at the southeastern edge lies Canarsie Beach Park. The basin proceeds towards the bay under the Belt Parkway and at its mouth, on both banks, lies the Gateway National Recreation Area. The surface area of the basin covers approximately 80 acres. Prior to being dredged between 1912 and the 1930's, the basin was a freshwater-fed tidal creek known as Paerdegat Creek (or Bedford Creek) and was surrounded by wetlands. Now, channelized and bulkheaded, it is bounded by filled uplands. Paerdegat Basin is a straight channel approximately one mile long, with a width of approximately 450 feet and a depth ranging from 12 to 16 feet, except at the head end of the basin where a combined sewer overflow (CSO) sediment mound has formed and decreased depths to less than one foot in some spots. The mouth of the basin is also shallow and difficult to navigate at low tide. Twenty-four percent of CSO discharges to Jamaica Bay is through the basin. A semi-diurnal tidal cycle exists, with a variation between 5 and 7 feet. The area around the head of Paerdegat Basin is characterized by a mixture of residential and commercial establishments. Junior High School 68 is located diagonally across from Flatlands Avenue and is approximately 300 feet from the head of the basin. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Paerdegat Pump Station is also located at the head of the basin.