(DNAINFO) Allegra Hobbs | December 21, 2016 — The first phase of the “Gardens Rising” project is complete.

The first phase of an expansive $2 million project bringing protections against flooding to more than 40 Lower East Side and East Village community gardens has concluded, paving the way for construction on new infrastructure to begin by summer 2017.

The New York City Community Garden Coalition has wrapped its roughly year-long study of 47 neighborhood gardens, identifying the best ways for each garden to absorb more storm water and prevent sewers from overflowing in the event of a future storm.

Using the information from the feasibility study, the coalition in January will kick off the second phase of the massive project, which entails evaluating the cost of each infrastructure upgrade and consulting with community gardeners on their desires in order to decide which upgrades will go into which garden.

Source: Community Gardens Could Save LES From Flooding Under $2M Plan – Lower East Side – DNAinfo New York