The Bronx River and its tributaries drain approximately 48 square miles of urbanized land in Westchester County before flowing through the Bronx Borough to the East River, and ultimately, the Long Island Sound. The Department of Planning spearheaded the development of a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Bronx River.
The overarching goal is to improve water quality in the Bronx River and its tributaries by controlling the volume of polluted stormwater runoff (aka, non-point source pollution) entering these watercourses. This goal can best be met by improving and installing infrastructure capable of treating polluted stormwater, natural resources restoration and re-establishment, and public education and outreach.
The county contracted with the Center for Watershed Protection (the Center) and Biohabitats, Inc., to develop the Bronx River Watershed Assessment and Management Report. The report is the culmination of nearly two years of extensive desktop analyses and field assessments conducted by the Center and Biohabitats. It specifies priority actions and identifies candidate stormwater retrofit and watershed restoration project locations. It covers the entire watershed; however, detailed recommendations and strategies are limited to five priority subwatersheds. And, it provides a framework for the county to pursue additional investigations and build upon the management plan for those subwatersheds not assessed by the Center and Biohabitats. Ultimately, the Report will serve as a technical support document to the watershed plan being developed by Westchester County.
We encourage you to read the report to learn more about what this plan entails. To view or print these PDF-formatted files, download and install the free Adobe Reader.