Spraying Fire Hydrants To Turn Brooklyn Blocks To 'Cool Streets'

BROOKLYN, NY — Brooklynites may not be able to take a dip in their local pools this year, but the spray of select fire hydrants will soon be open for business on hot summer days.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that 14 blocks closed to traffic throughout the five boroughs will now be turned into "Cool Streets" as part of his plan to keep New Yorkers cool amid limits on pools and beaches caused by the coronavirus crisis.

“Running through the spray of a fire hydrant is a venerable New York City tradition and a sign that summer is in full swing,” NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said Tuesday. “...These new Cool Streets will make [the Open Streets] program better, safer and more fun when the temperatures get high.”

In Brooklyn, the "Cool Streets" include blocks in Boerum Hill, Brownsville, East New York, Fort Greene and Red Hook.

The spots were chosen by looking at blocks with the most shade from trees in areas that rank highest in the Heat Vulnerability Index, a measure of heat-related health risks across the city's neighborhoods, city officials said.

Each of the "Cool Streets" fire hydrants will be set up with spray caps so that they can be used during heat advisories.

The initiative comes months after de Blasio announced the city's public pools and beaches would not be open for the start of summer due to the coronavirus crisis.

Instead, the mayor put together a plan for cooling initiatives, including reopening 950 and adding 250 new sprinklers, spray showers and misting stations across the five boroughs.

The city's beaches eventually reopened July 1 and 15 public pools are set to open by August.

Here are the "Cool Streets" opening in Brooklyn:

• Blake Avenue: from Miller Street to Hindsdale Street
• Wyckoff Street: from Nevins Street to Third Avenue
• Williams Avenue: from Liberty Avenue to Atlantic Avenue
• Henry Street: from Lorraine Street to Bay Street
• North Elliot Place: from Park Avenue to Flushing Avenue

A full list of Open Streets and Cool Streets can be found here.