County Executive Robert P. Astorino last week hosted a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of two restoration projects designed to ease erosion caused by flooding on the banks of the Bronx River, near the Westchester County Center in White Plains.
"These restoration projects are part of our wide-ranging effort to control stormwater, improve water quality and address the damage caused by flooding in the county," said Astorino.
Rep. Nita Lowey, who helped secure some of the funding, and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach were among those who attended.
The projects are among eight completed and pending projects within the Bronx River Parkway Reservation and three dozen countywide.
The White Plains restoration projects on the east and west banks stabilized embankments and restored wetlands and parkland along the river. The work was financed with a total of $2.4 million in funds from the federal, state and county governments. The Department of Planning worked with other county departments, including Public Works and Transportation, and Parks, Recreation and Conservation, as well as state and federal agencies, to implement the design and construction.
On both banks, boulders and thousands of plants were used to curb erosion and improve water quality along a nearly half-mile-long section of the river at the Westchester County Center in the Bronx River Parkway Reservation. The restoration also protects county infrastructure – including the adjacent Bronx River Parkway and the County Center parking lot bridge.
The newly created vegetative buffer along the river will filter and store stormwater runoff, more slowly releasing it into the river channel to better control water levels and lessen flooding. In addition to improving fish and wildlife habitats and filtering pollutants from stormwater runoff, the projects have also improved the appearance of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New York District contributed 65 percent of the total $1.7 million cost for the restoration of the river's west bank. The county contributed 35 percent of the remainder, mainly through in-kind services. The $700,000 funding for the restoration of the east bank of the river was provided through a $350,000 grant from the New York State Attorney General's Office's Bronx River Watershed Initiative. Westchester County contributed the other $350,000.
Said Lowey, "The Bronx River Parkway Reservation restoration will help ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the beautiful wildlife in the area. I am pleased that our community is benefiting from the partnership among federal, state and county governments to complete this vital project."
"The Army Corps of Engineers is pleased to have been able to partner with Westchester County on this erosion control project," said New York District Commander Col. John R. Boulé. "This work will help maintain the integrity of the Bronx River Parkway and Central Park Avenue Bridge for years to come while also protecting vital local infrastructure like utilities."
Lemuel Srolovic, director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Attorney General's Office, said: "Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is proud that funding from the initiative helped make this Bronx River stream bank stabilization and wetland restoration project possible. This project will help cut pollution discharges to the River and add valuable green space. As such, the project is not only an investment in the Bronx River, but also in White Plains and the many other communities along its path."
More information on the county aquatic restoration program can be found at www.westchestergov.com/restoration.