Download Saw Mill River

Saw Mill River
Westchester County, New York
Geography:
A tributary of the Hudson River, the Saw Mill River is entirely located in Westchester County,
New York. It flows south from marshlands on the west side of Chappaqua, NY to Yonkers, NY
paralleling the Saw Mill River Parkway for much of its length. It empties into the Hudson at
Dock Street in Yonkers after traveling underground for 2000 feet. The river is 23 miles long,
and has a watershed of 16,960 acres (26.5 square miles). The land usage in this watershed is
broken down to 63.4% urban use, 35.4% forest, and 1% is used for Agriculture.
History:
As with other areas along the Hudson River, the Saw Mill River was first occupied by Native
Americans, specifically the Wechquaescheck tribe. The river was located within a region they
named the Nepperhan or “trap fishing place.” The Native Americans found the area between the
Saw Mill River and the Hudson an excellent place for farming, fishing, and shell collecting; and
the fertility of this area was later discovered by the Dutch. Henry Hudson’s crew aboard the Half
Moon toured the Saw Mill River area of the Hudson in 1609 and purchased oysters from the
seemingly friendly Native Americans. In 1646, Adriaen van der Donck purchased the Nepperhan
region and became the founder of Yonkers, named after his title of “Jonkheer” (Dutch for young
heir).
No sooner then he laid down a saw mill on the river did it become the rapidly expanding
industrialized city of Yonkers, which today has a population of about 188,000 people. In 1864,
Alexander Smith set up the Alexander Smith Carpet Hills factory in Yonkers (once the site of the
Waring Hat Factory). His carpet factory closed down in 1954 and later would host tenants like
Gestetner and the Finkelstein Hat Company. In the 1990s, the factories became the Nepperhan
Business Center, which the United States Department of the Interior had declared a national
historic landmark in 1983.
State of the River:
Unfortunately, much of the river has been neglected and now flows beneath Yonkers for 2,000
feet in an underground tunnel called a flume. The main sources of pollution are: runoff from
residential and commercial development and roads such as the Saw Mill Parkway, Saw Mill
River Road and the city streets of Yonkers; sewage overflows from the Saw Mill River Pump
Station of Mount Kisco; and numerous untreated discharges from residential, commercial and
industrial facilities in the watershed.
Steps are being taken to restore the Saw Mill. The recently formed Saw Mill River Coalition
promises to unite organizations such as Riverkeeper, Groundwork Yonkers, Westchester County
and Beczak Environmental Education Center in efforts to support protection and restoration of
the river through education and advocacy.
Future infrastructure projects that will affect the Saw Mill include a New York City Watershed
Department projected upgrade for the Saw Mill River Pump Station, a proposed stadium in
downtown Yonkers and a Army Corps of Engineers proposal for channel modification. Flooding
in residential structures, businesses and industries in April 1980, April 1984, and September
1999 has prompted a proposal for 2.7 miles of channel modification on the Saw Mill River and a
210 foot retaining wall erected on the river between the Saw Mill Parkway bridges. It has been
suggested that habitat would be preserved through the use of instream habitat structures and
landscaped banks. Restoration and environmental enhancement projects for the Saw Mill are also
being considered by the Corps.
The watershed of the Saw Mill is highly developed and disturbed. With prevalent steep slopes, a
large percentage of impervious surfaces and intense development pressures for commercial and
residential construction, the Saw Mill is threatened by flooding, erosion, and polluted water
quality from stormwater runoff and polluted groundwater. More on sprawl….
Hudson riverfront expansion and development
In an effort to assist Yonkers with its waterfront revitalization efforts, Westchester County
purchased a 2.2-acre parcel of land from Scenic Hudson for use by Beczak Environmental
Center and the public. With the city’s commitment to maintain the park and restore a building on
the premises, the County Board recently approved Phase Two of the project which provides $1
million to help develop the site of the former Habirshaw Club for waterfront access and
enjoyment by all.
Sewage treatment plant
Westchester County maintains a sewage treatment plant on the Hudson waterfront in Yonkers.
The plant and its nearby pump station have a history of violations and complaints. In July, 2001,
a power outage resulted in the failure of the North Yonkers Sewage Pump Station, which
discharged 5 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Hudson. The plant’s odors have been a
neighborhood concern for years. Over the past few years, however, the county’s Department of
Environmental Control has made efforts to improve quality of life issues surrounding the plant,
by covering the tanks, intensifying air treatment of odors, and upgrading blower systems.
Members of the Saw Mill River Coalition:
- Saw Mill River Coalition: a partnership of non-profit groups, government agencies, and
businesses, aims to revitalize and protect the Saw Mill watershed.
Coordinator: Carol Capobianco
Email: [email protected]
- Saw Mill River Audubon Society: Their mission is to “conserve natural ecosystems through
education, advocacy and sanctuary stewardship.”
Website: http://www.sawmillriveraudubon.org/index.html
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address: Saw Mill River Audubon Society, Inc 275 Millwood
Road Chappaqua, NY 10514
Phone: 914.666.6503 Fax: 914.666.7430
- Beczak Environmental Education Center: provide hands-on educational workshops about
the Hudson River estuary.
Website: www.beczak.org
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address: Beczak Environmental Education Center 35 Alexander
Street, Yonkers, New York 10701
Phone: (914) 377-1900
- Groundwork Yonkers, Inc.: a charitable organization developed in the last few years to
revitalize the landscape of the city of Yonkers. It follows a model developed nearly twenty years
ago in the United Kingdom (UK) designed to regenerate towns with long histories and aging
infrastructures. One initiative of Groundwork is the Saw Mill River Heritage Trail, which will
serve as a continuous recreational resource connecting neighborhoods and business centers.
Executive Director: Rick Magder
Phone: (914) 953-7759
Email: [email protected]
http://www.groundworkusa.net, http://www.groundworkyonkers.org/
- Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District
http://www.yonkersdwbid.com/welcome_to_yonkersdwbid.htm
- Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, Inc.
http://www.philipsemanorfriends.org/
- Beczak Environmental Education Center: provides hands-on educational workshops about
the Hudson River estuary.
Website: www.beczak.org
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
Beczak Environmental Education Center
35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, New York 10701
Phone: (914) 377-1900
http://www.beczak.org/
- Scenic Hudson
http://www.scenichudson.org/
- The Hudson River Estuary Program (HREP)
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/hudson/hrep.html
- Westchester County Planning Department
http://www.westchestergov.com/
-
National Parks Service Rivers and Trails Program
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Downtown Yonkers Management Association
Hudson Valley Regional Council
Westchester County Environmental Labs
Philipse Manor Hall (State Historical Site)
NYS Watershed Inspector General
FCWC
Riverkeeper
Yonkers Municipal Housing Authority
Hudson Basin River Watch
U.S. Geological Survey
Scientific Studies:
- Department of Environmental Conservation’s study, “Saw Mill River Drainage Basin,”
www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dow/prop_reg/859xt.pdf