DEP sighted making repairs to local storm drains; two residents reportedly treated for shock

We have first-hand sightings of DEP personnel making repairs to storm drains on Caton (at, we think, Marlborough, and East 10th) on at least three occasions.

This may be a good thing. But not, we think, a reason to cease concern about flood risk. And – the next time you hear a government official tell you how hard it is to drain Brooklyn, remember the Incas:

The drainage infrastructure constructed by the Inca at ancient Machu Picchu represents a significant public works achievement. The difficult site constraints associated with the nearly 2,000 mm per year of rainfall, steep slopes, landslides, and inaccessibility posed drainage challenges that were met successfully by the Inca. The technical analysis of the Inca drainage works demonstrates that the drainage criteria used were reasonable and the implementation exceptional, and that the Inca were good engineers even though they labored without the benefit of a written language or the use of a wheel. Proof of the Inca success with drainage rests with the fact that Machu Picchu lay in the rainforest for 400 years without failure. There is no better example of successful ancient civil engineering than Machu Picchu. It was built by Native Americans before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors, was essentially abandoned in 1540 A.D., and endured for 4 1/2 centuries under a thick rainforest until the 20th century. (emphasis supplied)

Link to Kenneth R. Wright, “Ancient Machu Picchu Drainage Engineering”, at WaterHistory.org

Kenneth Wright’s website. Images from Water History website.

We note that Wright is not only the leading expert on Inca water systems – he’s a prominent engineer and the proprietor of an engineering consultancy. So his expertise is more than theoretical.

So – let’s demand from our political leaders that we want engineering parity with the Incas.