Success Story
UNCOVERING A LONG-BURIED PRIZE IN DOWNTOWN
YONKERS: "DAYLIGHTING'THE SAW MILL RIVER
In Yonkers, New York, an EPA Targeted Watershed grant is helping to return long-buried sections
of the Saw Mill River to the surface as part of a multi-billion dollar, area-wide revitalization effort
that includes restoration of brownfields along the river.
HIGHLIGHT.
The Saw Mill River Coalition
(established by Groundwork Hudson
Valley) forged relationships with
public works departments, private
developers, and professional water
quality researchers to focus on water
quality issues and develop corrective
strategies.
The EPA grant has enabled the
Coalition to pursue uncovering
selected portions of the river that
have for nearly a century been piped
underground—an effort referred to as
"daylighting"the river.
Goals under a planned, area-wide
revitalization effort include a new,
minor-league ballpark as well as new
housing and retail development.
EPA's Brownfields and Land Revitalization program and the National
Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA)
program have had a successful 12 year partnership with Groundwork
USA. Groundwork USA is a network of independent non-profit
organizations called Groundwork Trusts focused on stabilizing and
revitalizing their communities through projects and programs that
improve their environment, economy and quality of life.
Similar to the community led efforts of the Brownfields Program, the
Urban Waters initiative is an effort to restore and protect urban water
bodies and adjacent lands. U.S. EPA's goal is to integrate and leverage
existing programs to foster increased understanding and a sense of
ITACTS: U.S. EPA Region 2 (212) 637-3000 or visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields
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ownership of waters and surrounding land
in communities across the country. This is
especially important as urban waters impact
large populations and land-use decisions
have far-reaching implications.
The Saw Mill River Project
The Agency's commitment to restoring urban
waters is evident in cities like Yonkers, New
York, where a Targeted Watershed grant of
nearly $1 million awarded in 2007 is helping
to return long-buried sections of the Saw
Mill River to the surface as part of a multi-
billion dollar, area-wide revitalization effort.
This grant was awarded to Groundwork
Hudson Valley, a non-profit environmental
organization located in Yonkers. The
organization had already established the
Saw Mill River Coalition in 2001 to improve the
area's water quality, encourage sustainable land
use, restore habitat and biodiversity, promote
recreational opportunities, and raise awareness
of the river's history and significance. Among its
many areas of assistance, the EPA grant has
enabled the Saw Mill River Coalition to pursue one
of its primary goals: uncovering selected portions
of the river that have for nearly a century been
channeled into large underground pipes—an effort
referred to as "daylighting" the river, or bringing the
river back to the light of day. Along with the EPA
grant, a combination of public and private funding
will be used to finance this project.
Saw Mill River History
In the early 1920s, in response to Yonkers'
burgeoning development and rapidly expanding
population, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USAGE) covered up sections of the Saw Mill River
to allow flood mitigation—as well as to protect
Extending more than 23 miles, the Saw Mill
River begins as suburban wetland outside of
Chappaqua, New York; then runs south through
12 municipalities and along 16 miles of Saw Mill
River Parkway before emptying into the Hudson
River in downtown Yonkers, the state's fourth-
largest city.
Portions of the Saw Mill river
were covered in the early 1920s
citizens from what was becoming a dangerously
polluted waterway. The last mile of the Saw Mill
before its confluence with the Hudson runs almost
entirely underground, with scant portions visible
between some buildings and under the train
station.
Pollution levels in the Saw Mill River, caused by
the area's industrial past as well as rampant, illegal
dumping and sewage overflows during flooding
events, remained hazardous through the 1990s.
While areas of the river are home to wood frogs,
eastern painted turtles, rainbow trout, redbreast
sunfish, egrets, and herons, research conducted by
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the 1990s
revealed that the Saw Mill contained the highest
concentration of metals of all sites in the USGS'
National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A
more recent evaluation in 2007 conducted by the
Coalition also found elevated levels of human fecal
coliform bacteria in two municipalities; sources are
still under investigation. Portions of the river have
for decades been a dumping ground for trash, tires
and appliances; some of the river's most scenic
stretches are choked with plastic containers, fast
food wrappers and bottles.
Reduction of those contamination levels has been
a high priority for more than a decade. In 1999,
in a collaboration with Westchester County, the
USAGE began a review of the river that resulted
in an Ecosystem Restoration Study in 2003.
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The Saw Mill River Coalition picked up where
these efforts left off, finalizing an Action Plan that
included a list of priority problems, strategies for
addressing them, and specific tasks. The Coalition
has taken a three-pronged approach: 1) cleanup
of selected areas along the river, combined with
an outreach campaign to reduce dumping and
increase awareness of the importance of the Saw
Mill's restoration; 2) restoring critical watershed
and riverbank areas to ensure uninterrupted river
flow and flood prevention; and 3) addressing
ongoing development pressures and poor land-
use planning, by helping municipalities incorporate
river protection into their decision-making
processes.
Working Partnerships
With assistance from the EPA grant and
collaboration from its member stakeholders,
including the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC),
the Coalition has pursued its Action Plan. A
partnership with Manhattan College created a
comprehensive water quality monitoring program,
and an inter-municipal agreement signed by
affected cities and towns is protecting the Saw
Mill River from further damage. The Coalition
established a working relationship with public
works departments, private developers, and
professional water quality researchers, to focus
on fecal coliform and other water quality issues
and develop corrective strategies in the affected
municipalities. A collaboration with high school
students developed an "anti-trash/floatables"
campaign that uses signage, volunteer cleanups,
and public outreach to repair some of the damage
done by dumping and improve public awareness.
And through meetings, seminars, workshops
and publications (including its own website), the
Coalition has provided information to municipal
staff and decision-makers to improve land-use
planning decisions, create models for stormwater
management, and integrate river protection
measures into development plans.
Project in Motion
A groundbreaking ceremony for "daylighting"
of the Saw Mill River was held in December
"We've really made a dent in improving water
quality in the Saw Mill River," explains Ann-
Marie Mitroff, Director of River Programs with
Groundwork Hudson Valley. "We're involving
people across multiple sectors—from religious
groups, service organizations such as Rotary
clubs and girl scouts, to kayaking and nature
groups—in being stewards in their environment.
This is basically about bringing the Saw Mill River
'back to the light' and in the process, renewing
the river experience for people in the middle of
an urban environment."
2010. Eventually, uncovering of long-buried
sections and restoration of the Saw Mill River
will allow development to proceed on a $3.1
billion revitalization project for downtown Yonkers.
Plans under this project include a new minor-
league ballpark as well as new housing and retail
development. The soon to be exposed areas of
the Saw Mill River are a major component of this
revitalization, as are the efforts by the Coalition
to clean up the river and protect it from further
contamination.
ITACTS: U.S. EPA Region 2 (212) 637-3000 or visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields
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URBAN WATERS
Urban environments, particularly in underserved communities, are typically characterized by paved or covered
"impervious" surfaces, working waterfronts with industrial facilities, abandoned industrial sites, and other
underutilized or contaminated lands. These characteristics, in combination with aging and inadequate storm
water management infrastructure, generate excess and untreated runoff that transports sewage and hazardous
wastes into local water bodies. Urban patterns of historical development often make waterways inaccessible to
adjacent neighborhoods. Lack of access to waterways limits the ability of communities to connect and participate
in restoring waterways as healthy living ecosystems and reap the benefits of living close to the water in the city.
Addressing these issues to ensure healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and
enhance educational, recreational and social opportunities in nearby communities.
EPA is learning from community efforts already underway and supporting communities as active participants in
the restoration and protection of urban waters. EPA works to increase access to waterways, which promotes a
sense of public ownership of water resources and integrates environmental goals with other pressing priorities like
economic development, education, job creation, and greenspace creation and preservation.
URBAN WATERS RESOURCES
www. epa.gov/urbanwaters
Watershed Planning and Management
• Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure -
cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298
• Directory of EPA Watershed Publications -
water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/publications.cfm
• Key EPA Water Internet Tools Course -
www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/epatools
• Watershed Central and Wiki - wiki.epa.gov/watershed2
Water Quality and Pollution Prevention
• EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online -
www. epa-echo.gov/echo
• Nonpoint Source Pollution -
www.epa.gov/owow_keep/NPS/index.html
• Water Quality Assessment Tools and Models -
water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/models/index.cfm
Community Information
• Groundwork USA - www.groundworkusa.org
• National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program -
www. nps. gov/ncrc/programs/rtca
• Adopt Your Watershed -
www.epa.gov/owow_keep/adopt/index.html
• Community Culture and the Environment A Guide to
Understanding a Sense of Place - www.epa.gov/care/
library/community_culture.pdf
• EPA Smart Growth - www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
• Surf Your Watershed - cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
Outreach Development
• Coastal Urban Waters Toolkit -
www. epa.gov/owow/oceans/debris
• Getting In Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed
Outreach Campaigns -
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/toolbox/guide.htm
• Non-Point Source Toolbox - www.epa.gov/nps/toolbox
Funding
• Brownfields Grants to Support Assessment/Cleanup
of Contaminated Property, Environmental Workforce
Development and Job Training Grants, and Targeted
Brownfields Assessments -
www. epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/index. htm
• Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed
Protection - cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund
• Sustainable Finance Website -
www.epa.gov/owow/funding/trainings.html
• Watershed Funding Resource Directory -
water.epa.gov/aboutow/owow/funding.cfm
Case Studies
• Case Studies for Stormwater Management on
Compacted, Contaminated Soils in Dense Urban Areas
www.epa.gov/brownfields/tools/swcs0408.pdf
• Urban Agriculture on Brownfields Website -
www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag
• Targeted Watershed Grant Case Studies -
water.epa.gov/grants_funding/twg/initiative_index.cfm
For more information on the Saw Mill River Project, and on other brownfields related Groundwork projects, contact Groundwork
Hudson Valley at 914-375-2151, or visit the Groundwork Hudson Valley web site at: www.groundworkhv.org.
Brownfields Success Story
Groundwork Hudson Valley
Saw Mill River Project
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-11-023
Apr/12011
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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