Bronx River Ecomedia Blog

I got this information from BRAC:

The Bronx River Watershed Coalition’s next meeting will begin
at 1:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006, at the Bronx Borough President’s Office, 198 East 161st Street, Bronx, just east of Interstate 87 and accessible from the Melrose Station of Metro-North Commuter Railroad’s Harlem Line (Note: not all trains stop at this station) and the 161stStreet stop of the #4, B and D Subway trains. Please RSVP to
teresa.crimmens@parks.nyc.gov so that we can tell security how many
people are coming.

With the common goal of cleaning up the Bronx River and its
tributaries, Bronx River Watershed Coalition includes the Bronx River
Alliance, the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation,
Westchester County Department of Planning, 14 local governments, three non-profit organizations and New York State. The Coalition exists to guide the developemtn of a water quality improvement program for the entire Bronx River Watershed.

At this meeting, Franco Monalto, of Columbia University will discuss
his work with the capture and treatment of stormwater runoff in urban
settings. Also at the meeting, a representative from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers will discuss the status of the Bronx River Ecosystem
Restoration Study, which is led by the Corps under partnership with the
New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Westchester
County Department of Planning.

If you have any questions, please contact me or Rob Doscher
(rdd1@westchestergov.com).

Thanks,

Teresa

Teresa Crimmens
Environmental Coordinator
Bronx River Alliance
1 Bronx River Parkway
Bronx, NY 10462

718-430-4690
718-430-4658 (fax)

Why should I care whether the Bronx River is healthy or not? I don’t need to drink out of it (a good thing!). I don’t need to eat the fish that live in it. But I do feel peaceful whenever I get a chance to walk along it in, say, the New York Botanical Garden, where it is lined by trees and the water sparkles. I’d like the whole river to be clean and beautiful, all the way from Westchester to the South Bronx.

That’s why I went to a demonstration on monitoring water quality that was offered Sept. 30 by the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) and why I was excited to learn that the river has guardian angels, volunteers who check the water every week.

Donna Piluso, a long-time guardian of the waters, gave the demonstration at Drew Gardens.along with her 8-year-old daughter Oshiana. Other child-parent teams were there to watch. Some were taking BRAC classes on how to use digital cameras and some on how to use audio equipment.

After putting on neoprene wet suits and rubber boots, Donna and Oshiana waded into the river to check the water temperature with a special thermometer and to fill two bottles with water from the river. After they had collected the water, Donna showed us some of the chemicals monitors add to the water to check for such things as the amount of dissolved oxygen, salinity, level of nitrogen/nitrates, and turbidity.

Water monitors also make note of the water level in the river and look for signs of algae blooms that cloud the water so sunlight can’t get through to plants that need it. They try to get rid of invasive plants like Japanese knotweed that have blown in from far away and are spreading along the shoreline, crowding out the native plants.

Along with the demonstration, Donna gave us a lot of information about the river. Among other things, I learned that the water in the river at Drew Gardens (in the West Farms neighborhood) is “brackish.” I always thought brackish water was unclear or murky. But no. Brackish water is a mixture of fresh and salt water. Ocean tides run up the Bronx River as far as West Farms, making the water there slightly salty.

There are a number of things people can do to help keep the river clean.

·We can dispose of trash properly. Small pieces of litter from the streets wash into the river where fish eat them thinking they are getting food. Not good for fish digestion.

·If we see or smell raw sewage or other pollutants in the river, we can report it to the city’s Dept. of Environmental Protection either by calling the Bronx River Alliance if it’s a weekday (718-430-4665) or calling 311 any time.

·If we witness someone dumping trash in the river, we can call 911 right away. Dumping is against the law.

·To prevent nitrogen from running off our lawns and gardens into the river, we can fertilize with natural compost. This is frequently offered free of charge by the New York City Dept. of Sanitation. For information, see www.nyccompost.org.

·If we want to volunteer to monitor the water ourselves, we can get information by calling the Bronx River Alliance or e-mailing teresa.crimmens@parks.nyc.gov.

–Peggy Ray

This Weekend!

openhousenewyork weekend, America’s largest architect and design event, opens doors throughout New York City each October.

Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual openhousenewyork Weekend, October 7 & 8 and explore 180 sites from boardrooms to bedrooms, crypts to clubs, factories to firehouses, lighthouses to lookouts, monuments to mansions, skyscrapers to substations, and so much more!

Bronx River Ecomedia Blog is proudly powered by WordPress
Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS).